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General Secretary of the Peoples’ National Convention and convener of the Mass Action Committee (MAC), Atik Mohammed, has downplayed the essence of a press conference organized by IMANI-Africa on issues pertaining to the Electoral Commission and the conduct of the 2020 polls.

According to the pressure group, the press conference by IMANI was needless. The Mass Action Movement believes the think tank’s conference was just a stunt which will not inure to the benefit of the entire country as far as Ghana’s democracy is concerned.

“The Press conference organized yesterday by IMANI is very appalling. It is just another stunt,” the group’s convener said.

Speaking on Peace FM on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the Executive Secretary of MAC, Atik Mohammed explained that the information churned out by IMANI Africa through its press conference only exposes the inconsistencies and incoherence in IMANI’s position as far as the new voter’s register is concerned.

According to Atik Mohammed, IMANI Africa has been shifting the goal post whenever their concerns on the new voter’s register are addressed by the Electoral Commission.

Stating a case to buttress his assertion, the executive secretary for MAC noted that after a number of accusations on the EC which he believes did not stand the test of time, they are now accusing the EC of procurement breaches; an accusation he believes IMANI can easily be addressed at the law court.

He added that IMANI’s persistent opposition to the EC’s idea leaves much room for doubt on whose interest the think tank is working, indicating that the think-tank had a preferred vendor who did not win the bid.

“When you critically examine their discourse and the other things they have said so far since the beginning of the Electoral Commission’s idea of compiling a new voters register, you will realize that their position is becoming incoherent. They keep shifting the goal post on a daily basis. Now what they are talking about is procurement. They are alleging that the electoral commission is now engaged in internal misconduct,” Atik Mohammed indicated.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post by the founding President of IMANI-Africa, Franklin Cudjoe has rubbished the claims made by the Mass Action Committee’s executive secretary.

“I heard a certain “Mr. Atik Mohamed” say on Joy FM this evening that IMANI’s recent comment on the EC’s procurement misconduct is because IMANI has a preferred vendor which did not win. I mean how can this even be a coherent, and rational, accusation. All the companies involved filed a bid in August 2019 to supply the technology. IMANI has been opposed to the whole procurement and want it abandoned because we reject the very notion that the system is obsolette. How can IMANI oppose a tender even before it concluded in January 2020 in which it had a preferred vendor? Is this even logical? Ah!.” the post read.