Voters' registration exercise delays ,,,

....in some parts of Accra

Accra, March 16, GNA- Potential voters at the Ga South and West constituencies in the Greater Accra region on Tuesday blamed the Electoral Commission (EC) for delaying the registration exercise in those areas.

Many of them who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said they got to the registration centres as early as 0500 hours hoping to register on time so that they could go about their businesses. They however expressed disappointments when they found out that there was no one at the centres.

Between 0730 hours and 10:30 hours when the GNA visited some of the centres at the two Constituencies, there were no visible signs showing that such an exercise was to take place.

At other centres however, the GNA found a handful of electoral officers and party agents belonging to the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress waiting anxiously for the registration materials.

At the Auntie-Aku Temporary Booth of Anyaa Market Square in Sowutoum, the Registration Officer, Mr Gershon Tsrah told the GNA that they were supposed to collect the registration items the previous morning at the Mallam district "but as at 1800 yesterday when I left the place, the item were not yet in".

Mr Tsrah said he sent his assistant to Mallam to see whether the items were ready, but the assistant called to inform him that they were still sorting the items out.

At the Rose of Sharon Temporary Booth also at Sowutoum, there were no visible furniture or posters indicating that any exercise was to take place.

Ms Yaa Adobea, a resident who run a communication centre at the place told the GNA that a man supposed to be an electoral officer came around at 0700 hours and left a poster with her saying he would come later.

According to Ms Adobea a number of residents had come around to register but had to go back because "they do not see any sign of the exercise".

At the Jiggar Juction Temporary Booth, where there were no sign of the exercise, Mr Forster Aggudey, a driver suggested that prior to such an exercise the EC should have pasted posters or erected a signpost "so that people will know that something is going to happen here".

Mr Nicholas Boateng an Electoral Officer at the B'Kontonkyi Temporary Booth at Santa Maria said over 70 people had reported to the centre as at 1030 hours to register but most of them had left with the assurance that they would come later.

He said he has been assuring those who expressed misgiving about the exercise to be patient for the delay and register later.

"I just assure those who are very angry that they would be the first to register when the items are in", Mr Boateng said.