Report by Nana POKU and Bernard K DADZIE
The Electoral Commission of Ghana and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) seems to be shaken to the
core. The two organizations have taken umbrage at the opposition for declaring an intention to
demonstrate over the exhibition of the Voters’ Register.
The Electoral Commission (EC), for instance, has stated that they have taken steps to rectify the issues
that have been raised by the opposition National Democratic Congress and so there is no need for the
action they are calling for in respect of the flawed register.
Speaking to the Press at their headquarters, Mr Samuel Tettey the Deputy Commissioner in charge of
Elections who read statement asked the NDC to discard their intended action of demonstration and
forensic audit after they raised four discrepancies they detected that the Commission claimed it has
identified itself.
The Deputy Commissioner said this is not the first time such anomalies have been found, and since1992,
they always display the register for the purpose of identifying these anomalies and rectifying them
accordingly.
The Commission indicated that in their meeting with the NDC, the party complained of widespread of
flaws in the register. However, when the NDC was asked to give these flaws to the Commission to
address them, the NDC refused, especially ghost names and wrong transfers of voters to other parts of
the electoral areas.
The party demanded a forensic audit and redisplay of the register, but the commission found this as
untenable and undoable, especially when they refused to produce any evidence to that effect.
He disagreed with the demands as unlawful and beyond compression because the very things they are
complaining about are almost resolved and being attended to.
The commissioner intimated that in 2016 and 2020, the same process was embarked on; some
challenges were found but later addressed, so there's nothing new.
They assured Ghanaians of credible register for the forthcoming general elections as they have always
done since 1992.
To this end, all their district offices have been instructed to crosscheck their data and ensure a clean
register for the elections this year.
Again, the commission has called on deceased families to contact the Commission to furnish the names
of dead relatives delete ghost names from the register.
It also asked the Births and Deaths Department to furnish the commission with records of deaths to
enable them to clean the register before the general elections this year.
The Commission called on the former president to call on his party members to suspend their
demonstration since there's no need for it
This is because the issues are being addressed and this will reduce the political tension in the country.
He said the Commission is committed to ensuring free, fair, transparent, and credible elections come
2024 via a clean and reliable register,
NPP SAYS
Meanwhile Lawyer Justin Koduah Frimpong, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has
strongly criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for planning a nationwide protest at Electoral
Commission offices on September 17, 2024.
The NDC claims the protest is in response to alleged discrepancies in the voter register, which they argue
could undermine the credibility of the 2024 general elections.
After submitting presidential nomination forms on behalf of John Mahama, NDC Chairman Johnson
Asiedu Nketiah informed the media of the party’s decision to organize a nationwide protest.
Speaking at a press conference, Frimpong described the NDC's actions as reckless and unnecessary,
stating that they aim to create confusion and harm democracy.
He emphasized that the voter register exhibition is a routine process to identify and correct mistakes, not
an opportunity for violence and chaos.
He noted that voter registers often include names of deceased persons, as the Electoral Commission
works diligently to update records and remove those who have passed away, acknowledging the
difficulties posed by inadequate notification systems in rural areas
Frimpong also pointed out that the Electoral Commission has established channels for addressing
concerns and that the NDC should utilize these instead of threatening violence.
He urged the NDC to stop intimidating the Electoral Commission and Ghanaians, as this would not
resolve their issues.
