You are here: HomeNewsPolitics2015 05 18Article 358580

Politics of Monday, 18 May 2015

Source: starrfmonline.com

NDC “smuggling ineligible voters” into register - Group

Pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance, has called on the Electoral Commission to cease the continuous registration and vote transfer process.

According to the Alliance, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is using the process to sneak “ineligible voters” into the “already over-bloated register” ahead of the 2016 elections.

Below is their full statement:

We (The Let My Vote Count Alliance) are in shock and utter dismay at the surprise spring up of this Continuous Registration and Vote Transfer Process by the Electoral Commission on the good people of Ghana.

We know that this issue was discussed at the Electoral Reforms Committee and recommendations were made as to how the sanctity and integrity of the process can be secured if it had to be done.

Our checks reveal that apart from the ruling NDC, none of the other parties had received enough notice of this sudden exercise to enable them mobilize resources and deploy agents to the various centers. The question is, how do they challenge ineligible people who show up to register? The EC itself has made little arrangements to accommodate party agents in that regard. There is no news of this exercise on the official website of the Electoral Commission.

We have enough intelligence to convince us that the ruling NDC wants to use this window of “Continuous Registration” to smuggle ineligible voters into the already over-bloated register that needs a complete overhaul.

Processes from the election petition at the Supreme Court and the Case won by Evans Nimako and co at the same court discredits this current voters Register used for the 2012 elections and any attempt to make further additions to it will just be causing financial loss to the State.

From the C1 72, the EC is supposed to make known to political parties and interested persons the names of people it proposes to appoint as registration officials. Again the EC were to write to all parties notifying them of the impending registration exercise to be conducted, ahead of the exercise. These and other provisions have been flouted with impunity. And we least expected the EC, that is yet to recover from a huge financial loss to the State due to the postponement of the District Assembly Elections due to their negligence, to behave in this manner.

If the EC wants to be taken seriously on its commitment to a credible electoral process leading to a free and fair election come 2016, they should do the honorable thing by suspending this registration exercise.

We are therefore calling on all political parties, especially NPP, PPP, PNC, and CPP to join us in condemning this move and demand that the EC postpones this exercise.

We cannot approach the 2016 elections with doubts in our minds as citizens.

The EC should not play with the destiny of our country. The good people of Ghana will not countenance any action, which will seek to give an unfair advantage to any political party in the run-up to the 2016 elections.

We are all watching!

……signed……

David Asante (Convener)