Media reportage on voter register verdict skewed – Ephson

Pollster Ben Ephson has challenged the accuracy of reportage by several news hubs on the Supreme court’s verdict given on Thursday in the dispute over the electoral register.

Ephson said he finds it contentious for the media to conclude that the cleaning of the EC’s database affects the names of people who used the NHIS cards as a form of Identity to register in the previous elections, when in fact, the ruling never bordered on the NHIS issue.

“This is the account of the EC Lawyer, Tardius Sorey; according to him, the Supreme Court by its ruling asked the EC to go ahead to have a credible register; and cleaning it up by removing names of deceased persons. My concern was more with the NHIS issue, because the earlier case that was thrown out, the court said they cannot have a retrospective registration. They were not barred under the law to exercise their franchise because, at the time they registered, it was permissible to do so under such condition.

“So for all the news portals to report that such names should be deleted makes me confused, Ephson told sit-in-host Kwasi Nsiah on Si Me So on Kasapa 102.3 FM.

Meanwhile, Kasapa FM’s Daakyehene Ofosu Agyemang reported, Tadius showed up late in court today.

A seven-member Supreme Court panel chaired by the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, Thursday ordered the Electoral Commission to clean the voters register before the 2016 elections.

The jury averred that it could not by virtue of the few ineligible names on the register declare the entire register invalid for the elections as sought by the plaintiffs.

The ruling follows a suit filed by former PNC youth organiser Abu Ramada challenging the credibility of the 2012 voters’ register as a valid database for the November general polls.