No development, no registration

The people of Gbimsi in the West Mamprusi District have refused to participate in the current Voters Register Revision Exercise to register their protest over an abandoned electrification project for the area.

To press home their resolution, the people have prevented officials of the Electoral Commission engaged in the exercise from working in the area and its surrounding communities. According to a reliable source, the people have further resolved not to participate in any national exercise unless the project, which is at an advanced stage is completed.

Investigations by 'The Evening News' indicate that the project was started in 1998 under the Rural Electrification Programme with an estimated amount of ?240 million so far spent on the erection of poles and connection of cables within the community.

A transformer that was acquired for the project was of a bigger capacity and, therefore, required a smaller one, as a result of which the big transformer was sent away. It was later decided that the power be extended from the district capital Walewale, to Gbimsi, a distance of about four kilometres.

However almost three years now the project has come to a stand still. A source close to the District Assembly informed 'The Evening News' that Mr Amadu Abdulkarim, the District Chief Executive has been meeting with all the interested parties to help resolve the problem quickly.

The Voters Register was opened throughout the country last Friday to receive applications from the prospective voters and also to clean the register. The one-week exercise is being undertaken in designated centres in each of the 5,000 electoral areas throughout the country.

During this period Ghanaian citizens who have attained the age of 18 since the last registration exercise are being given the opportunity to register. Older Ghanaians who for one reason or the other have not registered since 1995 can also take advantage to register.

According to the Electoral Commission in order to have a reliable, accurate and dependable register, Ghanaian citizens, family heads, traditional rulers, Assembly members, Unit Committee members as well as opinion leaders in communities, political parties and religious bodies are being asked to report on the death of their registered relatives and friends. This would enable the Commission to remove the names of the dead from the register.