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Politics of Tuesday, 22 December 2020

Source: 3news.com

EC deliberately prevented Guan residents from voting – NDC MP

File Photo : Voting Booth File Photo : Voting Booth

A member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Este Kwami Dafeamekpor, has described the inability of the people in the Guan District of the Oti Region to vote in the 2020 elections as “aberration”.

The Member of Parliament for South Dayi Constituency said “the EC has treated the people as if they are sub-citizens of this country” because the EC prevented them from voting at the last moment of December 7.

The Guan District is made up of Lolobi, Akpafu, Santrokofi and Likpe areas. These areas were part of the Hohoe Municipality until the referendum that created the Oti Region.

They voted in the referendum and are now part of the Oti Region.

During the voter registration, the district was not created yet, so they registered under the Jasikan District in the Buem Constituency.

Later, the Guan District was created.

By this, residents could not vote in the Buem parliamentary elections since it was not possible for a constituency, Buem, to have two districts – Jasikan and Guan.

Reacting to the issue on Onua TV’s 100 Degrees hosted by Kwame Tutu on Monday, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor said the EC is not being truthful.

“The EC has treated the people as if they are sub-citizens of this country because the people of Lolobi could not vote.”

He added, “It was a deliberate attempt to prevent people of Lolobi from voting because the statement was issued in the evening of Sunday…the day before the elections”.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said “it’s an aberration and it has to go to court. It’s so reprehensible”.

Lawyer Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor said the EC disregarded a ruling on the Guan District because even the creation says it should take effect in the 8th Parliament…that’s the 2021 Parliament “but their votes were not counted in the presidential elections of the December elections”.