Minors attempt to register

The James Town Police on Friday averted a near confrontation between electoral officials and some residents at the Gbese Mantse Palace voter registration centre in the Kinka Electoral Area when the exercise to review the voters' register began.

The registration officials' attempt to enforce electoral rules by preventing minors from registering was robustly resisted by some residents, who thought otherwise. The officials told the Ghana News Agency that some people, whom they suspected to be under the voting age of, 18 were politely requested to produce their birth certificates to justify their age.

He said this infuriated some of the residents, who blatantly rejected the suggestion claiming that the officials had no right to demand the birth certificates. They claimed that the officials were just trying to deny them their right to register.

The registration officials said this led to confusion and exchange of words with the residents insisting that they either registered the children or packed bags and baggage and left the vicinity or be forcibly ejected.

"But for the timely intervention of Police officers, the situation could have generated into a free for all fight," one registration official said. Meanwhile, a visit to other registration centres in the Ashiedu Keteke, Ayawaso and Osu-Clottey sub-metro revealed low patronage, demonstrating the usual apathy at the beginning of programmes.

The revision of the voters' register is to capture Ghanaians, who have attained 18 years and those who for various reasons could not register during the last registration exercise.

With the exception of Roxy Cinema in the Odaw-Naa electoral area of the Osu Clottey Sub-metro and Gbese Mantse's Palace, which had recorded 31 and 69 new voters, respectively by mid-day, most of the other centres had recorded below 10 people.

Mrs Lankai Tetteh, Registration Officer at Kotobabi 3 A and B Girls Junior Secondary School in the Ayawaso District the lauded operational efficiency of the Electoral Commission in the exercise.

She said the Commission had provided adequate materials needed for the 10-day exercise. Other registration officials complained about poor remuneration and lack of adequate cameras for the exercise.

They suggested that the Commission provided more incentive packages to motivate them to work and also award all those, who would participate in it with honorary certificates. Mr Henry Okyne, Director of Public Affairs of EC, told the GNA that the Commission had only 800 cameras for the 5,000 electoral areas created for the exercise throughout the country.

He said that every electoral area had been provided with at least one camera at a convenient location to facilitate access to all those who would register noting that photographs would be taken for 21 days while the registration would last for 10 days. Mr Okyne advised those, who have misplaced their Voter ID Cards not to re-register but call at the EC district offices for assistance.

He explained that the current exercise was for only those who had attained 18 years, those who for various reasons could not register during the last exercise and those who had moved residence to effect the necessary changes.

Mr Okyne said during the exhibition of the register, both the old and provisional registers would be exhibited for people to crosscheck their records and also provide details about dead relations for their names to be removed.

Ms Laurentia Kpatakpa, Deputy Director for Greater Accra Electoral Commission, told the GNA that the target group for the exercise was mainly for those who had attained 18 years. She said registration officials had been advised to look out for potential impostors, who might attempt to register double.