The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has revealed that a total of 7,821 challenge cases have been recorded so far in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

Addressing a press conference, the deputy Chairperson of the Commission also revealed that a total of five hundred and twenty thousand twenty-five eligible voters have been registered as of day thirteen of the ongoing voter registration exercise.

The Deputy Chairman of Operations of the Electoral Commission (EC), Samuel Tettey also at the 'Let the Citizen Know' series refuted claims that the Commission registered people in secret.

The response comes after Election Watch Ghana alleged that the EC used stolen biometric kits to secretly register people in certain areas.

Mr Tetteh stated that these allegations are “useless” and ‘without merit.’

“The commission has never reported that biometric voter registration kits have been stolen. The commission reported to the security agencies that five laptops were missing. The commission informed all stakeholders about the missing laptops.”

Pusiga District Registration Centre

According to the EC, approximately 17 individuals were found to have utilized counterfeit Ghana Card numbers during the registration exercise conducted at the said centre.

Following the discovery of the fraudulent registrations, swift action was taken by the EC. The Registration Officer responsible for overseeing the process at the centre was immediately dismissed.

In its statement issued on Monday, May 20, the EC provided further details surrounding the fraudulent registrations.

The investigation revealed that the Registration Officer had failed in his duty to properly verify the authenticity of the Ghana Card presented by each applicant.

Instead, the officer negligently accepted the counterfeit numbers provided by Party Agents who accompanied the 17 applicants during the registration process.

The EC emphasized the gravity of the situation, expressing deep concern over the breach of integrity in the voter registration process.

In light of these findings, the EC assured the public of its commitment to upholding the integrity of the voter registration exercise.

The ongoing limited voter registration exercise has been hit with several challenges but the commission says the 21-day exercise, which will end on May 27, 2024, is expected to register 623,000 new entrants who will have the opportunity to exercise their franchise during the December 7 general elections.