The Electoral Commission of Ghana has debunked claims that it is still owing about 200,000 field workers it used to conduct the 2020 General elections.

According to a statement released by the Commission, the news which has gone viral is palpable falsehood as there is no outstanding claims on such payment.

The statement further emphasized that groups of persons claiming nonpayment by the Commission for work done during the 2020 elections do not exist and are ghosts adding that such report is false and an attempt to malign and impugn the integrity of the Commission.

The statement therefore explained that in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, it instituted a system whereby field staff were paid through their bank accounts.

“For the records the EC in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, instituted a system whereby field staff were paid through their bank accounts. This was a departure from the previous practice where huge sums of money running into several millions were carried in bags for the purpose of paying staff in the field across the country.” parts of the statement read.

It further stated that,” we therefore ask the public to ignore the statement that the EC has not paid its 2020 elections field workers as it is false. As always it is an attempt to malign and impugn on the integrity of the EC. It will not succeed. We wish to state that any person or groups of persons claiming nonpayment by the Commission for work done during the 2020 elections do not exist. They are ghosts.”

Read below the full statement

The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to an article making the rounds in the media to the effect that the EC has not paid some 200,000 field staff who worked on the 2020 Elections.

This is false. The EC has to date paid all staff who worked during the 2020 elections.

For the records the EC in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, instituted a system whereby field staff were paid through their bank accounts. This was a departure from the previous practice where huge sums of money running into several millions were carried in bags for the purpose of paying staff in the field across the country.

For the 2020 elections, all payments to field staff were done through the bank accounts. Indeed, an opportunity was given for correction of wrong account details supplied throughout 2021.

All persons who corrected and resubmitted their correct account numbers were duly paid. The records to this effect are available.

We therefore ask the public to ignore the statement that the EC has not paid its 2020 elections field workers as it is false. As always it is an attempt to malign and impugn on the integrity of the EC. It will not succeed.

We wish to state that any person or groups of persons claiming nonpayment by the Commission for work done during the 2020 elections do not exist.
They are ghosts.