The Electoral Commission (EC) has expressed alarm over rumors that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the opposition party, intends to use drones to monitor the upcoming general election in the Greater Accra area.
The EC emphasized that such activities will not be allowed since they would compromise established security protocols and infringe upon the privacy of voters in the electoral process.
After Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore, the NDC’s Greater Accra Regional Chairman, stated that the planned drone deployment is a component of the party’s strategy to secure two million votes in the upcoming elections.
According to Mr. Moore, the main goal is to improve the NDC’s monitoring capacities in order to prevent possible election malpractices. He also mentioned that plans are in place to teach constituency executives on how to use drones to monitor activity on the ground.
But according to Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, Director of Electoral Services at the EC, in an interview with JoyNews, the Commission hasn’t formally gotten word from the NDC about their plans to use drones.
Dr. Quaicoe emphasized that allowing such behavior would be against security procedures and compromise the voting process’s confidentiality.
“Polling stations are security zones, so they will have to apply to the security people for permission to be granted. They will have to apply to the Electoral Commission for permission to be granted,” Dr. Quaicoe remarked.