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The General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has professed that the formation of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) is not backed by any law to make it mandatory for the Electoral Commission (EC) to accept suggestions from political parties.

However, he says, the formation of IPAC was an agreement for all registered political parties and the Electoral Commission (EC) to meet in the spirit of fairness and transparency to discuss issues relating to elections.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as affectionately called stressed that the IPAC was made possible so that as stakeholders in the electoral process, the EC will table a meeting and solicit for opinions of all political parties before it moves to Parliament to become a law.  

“IPAC is not backed by any law. It is something that all the political parties and the EC have come to an agreement that it will be necessary for us to discuss issues relating to elections, as two heads are better than one, and so if any issue is raised by the EC, because we are stakeholders in the electoral process, the EC will table a meeting and solicit for our opinions and views and so all of us will discuss the issues raised and find a solution to them to the satisfaction of all of us,” he admitted.

He made it clear that the Inter-Party Advisory Committee was not formed to take decisions by voting as that is the preserve of Parliament; thus, the intent was to avoid a political party using its majority in Parliament to pass an electoral law which will favour one side.

He reiterated that the reason for the formation of IPAC was to reach a common agreement on an electoral issue in a meeting before the Electoral Commission lays it before Parliament for a final decision to be taken.

“IPAC meeting is not a place where we sit and vote and say that the majority has won and the minority has lost at the end of the day. This is because, that is done in Parliament and so the mindset behind the formation of IPAC is that if we say that we are taking any law for the election to Parliament for it to be passed, then definitely a particular political party has the majority in Parliament and so if you leave it for Parliament alone to decide, the majority in Parliament will have their way and if that continues, it will be like one party state,” he explained.

“This is the reason why we came up with the IPAC so that all registered political parties can be meeting to deliberate on the electoral process whether they have a member in parliament or not . . . " he mentioned.

He enumerated that from 1994 till date, every changes from the opaque ballot box to transparent ballot box, using pictures on voter’s ID cards from black and white to coloured and the biometric register were the architect of IPAC meetings.

“The EC officials in the past however do not make up their minds to impose their decision on the political parties due to their mandate; that is not the brain behind the formation of the IPAC. This is what the new leadership of EC has done, to throw away the reason for setting up the IPAC. The sad thing is that even if the decision of the EC is not making sense, they will make it because they have the power,” he bemoaned.