The Minority Leader, has signalled that the Minority in Parliament, may push for a recall of Parliament to demand an audit of the voters register ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, stressed that such an audit by the Electoral Commission (EC) is critical to addressing irregularities and ensuring the upcoming election is free, fair, and transparent.
It comes as the Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has in an interview on Accra-based JoyNews, slammed the EC over its actions in the handling of its disputes accusing the commission of setting aside the laws of the country and engaging in activities it wants.
During yesterday’s nationwide NDC demonstration in Accra against the EC, the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam MP, expressed serious concerns about what he described as tampering with the voter’s register, stating that the party could not ignore these discrepancies.
“We believe the voter’s register must be audited. The extent of tampering we’ve observed makes it impossible to proceed without a thorough review. This audit is essential to assess the scale of the problem and correct it,” he said.
Dr Forson, noted that the NDC’s call for an audit is in line with the party’s dedication to maintaining peace during the election period. He also urged the EC to act swiftly and transparently to ensure a credible and peaceful election.
“In my constituency, we’ve discovered the addition of about 3,000 names in the transfer register and multiple entries of the same names. The register has been bloated by approximately 5,000 names. This is deeply concerning, and Parliament must intervene,” he stressed.
He also expressed broader concerns about the actions of the EC, suggesting that the Commission’s behaviour was problematic.
Dr Forson, added that the NDC is prepared to escalate the situation if their demands are not met.
“What you’re seeing today is just the beginning. We plan to undertake a series of actions, including a potential recall of Parliament, to compel the Electoral Commission to fulfil its duties.”
“The Ghanaian voter is the most important stakeholder. We want to make sure that on Election Day, every citizen can vote, and every vote is counted. We are urging Ghanaians to get involved and ensure the right procedures are followed.”
The IMANI Vice President, had added that the commission fails to listen to reasoning, which is why the country has issues during electioneering years, especially with the voters’ register.
“The current debate is exactly because we have an Electoral Commission which has essentially become a pernicious institution. It refuses to do what is written in the law. It arrogates to itself powers it does not have. It creates an unnecessary cost and stress on this country.
“And you have political parties like NDC and co, they (the EC) won’t even respond to them. So, this debate, if you check in the past, about four election cycles, we almost every time have a strained debate about registration. And here we are again. And it doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
The IMANI vice president explained that the job of the EC is to ensure that every voter gets the chance to vote, but the commission has time without a number taken actions that go contrary to that.
“The constitution says, compile and register. And in (sic) Addy, it was made sufficiently clear to the Electoral Commission that your job is to facilitate voting. Your job is not to do things to make people lose their right to vote. It is the other way.
“And you have a situation where this Electoral Commission chooses not to listen to the law, not to listen to even the main parties. We have a judgment against the EC to do things it refuses to do, and then it just goes ahead and does what it wants to do.”
He indicated that the actions of the EC endanger Ghana’s democracy and are likely to land the country in trouble.
“When we go in, we will look at some of these details about why the EC is becoming a lawless institution and sends us around this thing every four years. God has kept this country from a civil war. The EC is tempting fate and we should score it at the point it refuses to be audited. Nobody knows the extent of its assets,” Bentil concluded.
