Registration exercise in Sunyani takes off in earnest

Sunyani (B/A), March 16, GNA- The voters' registration exercise took off in earnest in the Sunyani Municipality with only a few people trooping to the centres when the exercise started at 0700 hours. When Ghana News Agency toured some of the centres at about 1000 hours, registration officials were seen busy at work.

No incident was recorded in at any of the centres in the morning. There were however complaints by some of the registration officials over the number of representatives of political parties as well as lack of proper writing tables and chairs.

At the Sacred Heart "A" and "B" registration centres at Penkwase-Lowcost quarters, representatives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were more than the number prescribed by the Electoral Commission.

There were five instead of two representatives of the NPP at registration centre "A".

National Democratic Congress (NDC) had one person as its representatives at the centre.

Mr Ntow and Mr Acheampong, the two registration officers told Ghana News Agency the EC had directed that each political party was expected to detail two representatives at a registration center so they were surprised to see more than the number representing the NPP.

Mr. Ntow said he had reported the issue to an official of the EC who visited the center and this official had promised to crosscheck with the appropriate quarters.

Apart from these complaints the exercise was orderly at the two centres and as at 0900 hours, 12 people had been registered at center "A" and 10 at "B".

At the Presbyterian Primary Lower Centre, 30 people had registered according to Ms. Ayisha Ahmmed, registration officer in-charge. At the Presby Upper Primary Centre, Mr. Moro Yakubu, registration officer said 26 persons had been registered as at 0948 hours.

At Presby JSS No.2, 29 persons had been registered, while at the Presby Primary Centre, Mr. Obed Minka, registration officer complained of lack of proper writing tables and chairs for the exercise.

He said as the normal practice nearby schools at the centres were expected to assist the registration officials with tables and chairs but the authority of the school had refused to do so.

At the Workers' Canteen centre, Mr. Anthony Frimpong, registration officer, said 65 persons had been registered at as 1013 hours. The GNA got to know at the Rural Development Victoria Park 1B, Bakers Co-operative Victoria Park and Rural Development Store centres that they had registered a total of 92 persons as at 10oo hours. Only the NPP and NDC have representatives observing the exercise at all the centres toured.

Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/A), March 16, GNA- The voters registration exercise went on smoothly at Dormaa Ahenkro in Brong Ahafo as the centres registered a number of voters by 1100 hours.

Mr. Patrick Yeboah, registration officer at the Methodist Experimental JSS centre said 34 people had registered as at 1100 hours. He however complained about lack of adequate personnel and the frustration of the people as a result of the absence of cameras for the exercise.

Mr. Augustine Daaru, registration officer at Aduanakrom centre said 60 people had registered as at 1120 hours adding that people who were not conversant with the house number of their new homes went back for them before they were registered.

Mrs. Mary Fosuaa Sraha in-charge of the Roman Catholic Upper Primary School centre said 51 people registered as at 1135 hours.

She called for greater efforts in the education of the people so that they could come out in their numbers to register.