The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has threatened to stage a protest against the Electoral Commission (EC) if it complies with the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) request for a forensic audit of the provisional voters’ register.
The warning comes in the wake of a nationwide protest organized by the NDC on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, demanding an independent audit of the register. The opposition party alleges irregularities, including illegal transfers and the inclusion of deceased voters, which they claim have inflated the electoral roll.
Addressing the media on Thursday, September 17, 2024, NPP General Secretary Justin Frimpong Koduah dismissed the NDC’s allegations as groundless.
“The Electoral Commission, yes, admitted that there have been issues in Pusiga, and not only in Pusiga. For them, it is part of the process. There will definitely be issues at various centers. It is possible that there are still deceased people’s names in the register. It is also possible that some people wanted to transfer their votes, but the system didn’t capture it. Moreover, the system, whether deliberately or by accident, might have transferred people without their knowledge.”
He also downplayed the NDC’s claims about deceased individuals remaining on the voters’ register, calling it “preposterous and laughable.”
“As it stands now, by God’s creation, people are born every day and people die every day. So, even if we clean the register today, by December 7th, there will still be deceased people in the voter register. Therefore, we cannot use that as a basis to accuse that there are dead people in the register.”
Justin Koduah warned that if the Electoral Commission (EC) yields to the NDC’s demands, the NPP will also stage its own protest.
“A friend also asked, ‘what if the Electoral Commission see to what the request that the NDC is making.’ In fact, the NPP people will also hit the streets to demonstrate against the Electoral Commission, then it will also mean that the Electoral Commission is inconsistent.”
He questioned why the EC would consider the NDC’s request for a forensic audit at this time, pointing out that in 2015, the Commission assured the NPP of its ability to handle such matters internally.
“In 2015, this same Electoral Commission assured us they had the capacity to resolve issues internally. So we’re asking, what has changed now?”
The NPP’s stance adds another layer of tension to the ongoing debate over the credibility of the voters’ register as the 2024 general elections near.
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Story by: Joycelyn Glory | universnews.ug.edu.gh
