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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliamentary for Effiduase-Asokore in the Ashanti Region, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie is against the Electoral Commission’s decision to charge the media for accreditation during the 2016 election.

The outspoken MP made this known to the Chairperson of the commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei when rendering an account to parliament on Wednesday 26 July 2017 about how the money collected from journalists was used.

Media houses were asked by the EC to pay an amount of GHc10 for accreditation to enable them have access to polling stations.

The EC in a statement ahead of the polls said: “Accreditation tags will be given to only those who have formally applied for it and for a fee to be determined by the Commission.”

This, many thought was unconventional because funds were earmarked by the Government of Ghana to the elections management body to conduct the elections.

Dr. Ayew Afriyie on the floor of parliament questioned that “What is the reason behind charging journalists, is this going to be precedence?”

According to EC’s Boss, the practice was not novel and that it was introduced in other elections in Ghana, especially in the district assembly elections, adding that the turnout of the journalists indicated that the decision was apt.

She said: “This is not the first time the Commission has charged journalists for accreditation. This had happened in the District Assembly elections and so it wasn’t the first time.

“Judging by the numbers; that’s 4,271 and the way that the media covered the elections very effectively, we don’t think it is a bad practice,” she added. 

But Dr. Ayew Afriyie in an interview with Peacefmonline.com noted that, “The EC must not repeat this again, it is not right to charge journalists for accreditation.”