Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the biometric technology used in Election
2012, enabled the Electoral Commission (EC) to have the cleanest register ever used in any elections in Ghana.
He said the verification equipment also helped to eliminate completely multiple voting, which used to characterize previous elections in Ghana.
"The verification equipment provided a counter check for the manual tallying of voters and the issuing of ballot papers at the polling stations. Security personnel deployed in the elections were all trained and given copies of a code of conduct to guide them in the discharge of their duties," Mr Aseidu Nketiah said at a media encounter in Accra on Thursday.
It was in reaction to series of allegations being propagated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after the declaration of Election 2012 results on December 10, by Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said all these enhanced the already transparency measures that had been in existence in all previous elections such as the maintenance of party agents by all candidates at polling stations.
He said the open counting and declaration of results immediately after voting at all polling stations in the presence of the media, civil society organizations, accredited internal and external observers, the security agencies and members of the general public made the polls credible.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the issuance of copies of election result sheets to representatives of all participating candidates, and the ability of all these stakeholders to transmit the polling station results directly and independently to their own collation centres was also good measures.
"We in NDC, whiles acknowledging the fact that there is no perfect elections anywhere in the world, wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, our position that the 2012 Election has been the most transparent, free, fair and peaceful elections ever conducted in the history of this country.
Mr Asideu Nketiah said for the first time, the two major political parties – NDC and NPP, applied their own seals to all ballot boxes in addition to the EC’s seals. This provided further protection against the snatching of ballot boxes".
He said Ghana has come a long way in the democratic experience, which is an envy of countries the world over, including those in Europe and America, where democracy has been practiced well more than two hundred years.
"Instead of joining Ghanaians to bask in this glory, we have a section of our compatriots, who have never learnt the art of losing graciously in any elections, trying to taint the image of the EC, and other stakeholders in the electoral process and indeed Ghana, by engaging in fabrications, frivolous arguments, and unsubstantiated allegations, open falsehood and empty threats to achieve their obnoxious agenda.
"Our candidate, President John Dramani Mahama, won in eight out of ten regions, and in three of these eight, he won in all the constituencies i.e. Upper East, Upper West and Volta Regions.
"And even in the two that were won by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, NPP presidential candidate - Ashanti and Eastern Regions, which NPP claim to be their home regions, President Mahama put up the strongest showing ever by any NDC candidate in any elections in the fourth republic, by obtaining 29 per cent and 43 per cent respectively".
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said in the parliamentary elections, results declared, indicate that the NDC obtained majority of the seats, winning 148 as against NPP's 123. These parliamentary results are not being challenged by any candidate from the NPP or any other party.
He asked, judging by the facts provided, “how can any reasonable Ghanaian doubt the victory of President Mahama and the NDC in the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections?
"It is said that evil thrives when descent people refuse to speak. The NDC has taken note of a few courageous and reasonable voices coming from the ranks of the NPP, urging their leadership to concede defeat and save the image of their party and the country.
"We wish, to sincerely urge members of the NPP, who are interested in the future of their party and democracy in Ghana, to stand up and be counted and save the NPP from further embarrassment and possible total destruction as a political force in Ghana.
"We want to assure the current leadership of NPP that these negative and anti – democratic activities can neither change the verdict of the masses nor prevent NDC supporters from celebrating their hard won victory.
"We, the National Executive Committee of the NDC wish to assure our members, sympathizers and the entire nation that the NDC has genuinely won the 2012 elections, and we are in a victory mood and nothing will prevent us from celebrating this hard won victory.
"We hereby direct all our regional and constituency executive committees to continue to organize their victory celebrations across the country and prepare for the gargantuan swearing –in ceremony of our President elect on the 7th of January, 2013.
"We wish to thank our supporters, sympathizers and well wishers for accepting the Better Ghana Agenda and renewing the mandate of our party".