Fire: Our Data Centre intact, 2020 polls not in danger – EC
The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has assured the general public that the fire outbreak at its office at Sarpeiman near Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region did not affect its Data Centre.
The EC noted that the fire outbreak will not affect the conduct of the 7 December 2020 polls.
Fire gutted the election management body’s regional office in the early hours of Friday, 14 August 2020.
In a statement issued by the EC following the incident, the Commission entreated the general public “to ignore the falsehood being peddled on social media to the effect that its Data Centre was destroyed by the fire.”
It further assured “the general public that its Data Centre is safe and secure”.
The Public Affairs Director of the EC, Slyvia Annor said in media interviews that the fire destroyed “some old election materials that have been stored over the period but thankfully, the Ghana National Fire Service was able to stop the fire from spreading to the other offices.”
The EC also revealed that: “The matter is being investigated by the Ghana National Fire Service as well as the security agencies and as soon as the report is ready, we will make it available.”
According to her, the fire outbreak will not affect the conduct of the 202 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Fire tenders had to be brought in from Kotoku, Abelemkpe, Nsawam and Amasaman to quench the blaze, a statement by the Ghana Police Service had indicated earlier.
The affected offices include a room filled with used electoral materials.
While no casualties were recorded, the cause of the fire is yet to be known.
The statement added: “The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Commission, Mr Kwame Amoah, informed the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mr Afful Boakye Yiadom, who was at the scene, that the fire will not affect the recent registration and the upcoming December 2020 elections.”
The EC recently completed the compilation of the new voter roll for the December polls.
The total number of people captured in the new voter roll is 16,932,492.
The EC says the exercise, which ended on Sunday, 9 August 2020, was successful, as it was “inclusive, participatory, orderly and peaceful.”
