On the eve of the presidential run-off, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) team observing the election visited the offices of NEC, SLPP, PMDC, and APC in Bo.
The team, which was co-led by Nora Owen former minister for justice and former Member of Parliament (Ireland), Ken Nnamani former senate president (Nigeria) and Christopher Fomunyoh senior associate for Africa, NDI, was received by NEC’s regional electoral commissioner south, Winston Minah. Mr Minah was asked about the preparedness, challenges and issues to pay attention to.
He said they were prepared and equipped for the election.
He explained that slight changes were made after the August 11 elections by implementing checks and balances.
Mr Minah also said they changed the validating staff as they were made to understand that during the August 11 elections, NEC’s stamps found themselves out of where they ought to have been. In controlling that, he went on, NEC prepared new stamps to validate the ballot papers but if during the country or sorting of ballot papers it is found out that the old stamps are used, those ballot papers would be considered invalid.
The NEC commissioner however promised to keep by their examples during the first ballot to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
At the SLPP’s party office at Fenton Road, the team was received by the Bo district executive and their chairman Raymond Cobba.
Both said they were apprehensive about threats posed by the APC to disrupt the presidential election.
Also at Dambala Road, the team met the APC executives at the offices of the PMDC and they too raised similar concerns about the SLPP bent on disrupting the elections.