A Deputy Chairman at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Bossman Asare, said that all the problems identified by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the voter register, have been resolved.
The NDC, had said there were unidentifiable and missing voter data in the provisional register; and illegal voter transfers and was therefore demanding a re-exhibition of the Provisional Voters Register.
But speaking on the Hot Issues with TV3’s Kemini Amanor on Sunday, September 29, Dr Bossman Asare, said “As I speak to you I can say on authority that all the problems identified by the NDC have been resolved. [But] for you to be double sure that your concerns have been addressed, come to the discussion table and bring your issue. The reality is that it is premature for you to make a request for a forensic audit.”
The commission, had rejected the call by the NDC, to conduct a forensic audit of the voter register, while responding to the petition submitted by the main opposition party.
In its response to the NDC’s petition, the EC said “The Commission takes this opportunity to assure the NDC and the General Public that it has largely resolved all the discrepancies identified in the PVR. The Commission achieved this in 2020 and will do it again in 2024.
“We invite your team to the discussion table, as we believe it will afford us the opportunity to demonstrate to you that the discrepancies detected in the PVR, have been resolved.
“As a Commission, we are of the view that the existing legal and administrative processes for cleaning the PVR, have not been fully exhausted to justify the call for a Forensic Audit. We entreat the NDC and the General Public to trust us to deliver our mandate.”
The NDC organized ‘Enough is enough’ nationwide demonstration on Tuesday, September 17, to press home their demand for an audit of the register.
“Our demand is simple,” National Chairman of NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said.
He added “We want the EC to ensure a free, fair, and transparent election and a credible register is central to that goal.
“We want nothing but transparent elections that will guarantee our right to choose our leaders. Without the right of self-determination, democracy is good as gone and every democracy at one point in time, comes under threat Ghana’s democracy is under serious threat now and we want to prevail.
“We shall overcome because every democracy has the risk of producing a tyrant but our ability to fight that tyrant and restore democracy once again is paramount and we shall prevail.
“Elections alone do not guarantee democracy, it is democratic-minded citizens who are ready to fight for them who can guarantee democracy.”
