Elections peaceful, orderly— ECOWAS Mission

The ECOWAS Observation Mission to the Ghana Presidential and Parliamentary Elections has described Saturday’s process as peaceful and orderly.

Head of the Mission and former former Vice President of Nigeria, Namadi Sambo, stated this in a statement on Saturday.

Apart from election a president, Ghanaians are also electing lawmakers into the 276-seat parliament.

The mission commended the early commencement of voting, stating that it observed that most polling centres commenced voting by 7 a.m. as stipulated by law.

“At several polling stations visited by the Head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission, Dr Namadi Sambo, in Greater Accra, which accounts for more than three million of the 18.8 million registered voters in the country, voters were in queues before the official opening of balloting at 7:00 a.m,” the statement said.

The mission also stated what it observed at the polling stations visited.

It said, “Ninety-six-year-old Charles Owusu was among over 20 voters waiting to vote at the Flag Staff HSEJHs, Kanda polling station in the Ayawaso East Constituency, in Greater Accra. He said he had joined the queue by 6 a.m., while others said they arrived two hours before balloting opened.

“When the ECOWAS Head of Mission and his team arrived at the station, which had 567 registered voters, polling staff and materials were ready, and one of the three police officers assigned to the station was also in place.

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“Voting started at exactly 7:00 am, with the first voter, Patience Yinne, 55, taking about five minutes to complete her voting process,” the statement said.

ECOWAS said it deployed more than 120 observers for the electoral process across the regions and districts.

Sorting and declaration of results are ongoing at polling stations across the country.