A total of 1,248,338 prospective voters registered in the biometric registration exercise in the Brong-Ahafo region which ended some weeks ago, Mr. George Gyabaah, Regional Director of the Electoral Commission disclosed on Tuesday.

He was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani on Tuesday during the registration of some inmates at the Sunyani Central Prisons.

As at filing this report 20 inmates made up of 15 males and five females who had provided the required identification materials were going through the registration exercise.

Only two political party agents - National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) were monitoring the registration exercise.

Mr. Gyabaah said similar exercises were being conducted at Duayaw-Nkwanta, Kenyasi and Yeji prisons, where only five inmates were qualified to be registered.

He said the exercise was however going on smoothly with the cooperation of the prison officials.

A senior prisons officer at the Sunyani Central Prisons told the GNA on condition of anonymity that, there were 782 male and 19 female inmates.

He said congestion at the male cells had resulted in the outbreak of “chicken pox”, with cases of typhoid also becoming alarming.

The senior prisons officer said though most of the inmates were 18 years and above, most of them could not participate in the exercise because they were not able to produce the required identification materials needed for the exercise.**