
The Electoral Commission (EC) has refuted claims made by Election Watch that it was engaged in clandestine voter registration practices.
Addressing the media in Accra, the Deputy Chairman of Operations at the EC, Samuel Tettey, denied the accusations, emphasizing the transparency of the ongoing registration process.
He reiterated the EC’s commitment to openness, highlighting its regular communication with political parties and stakeholders throughout the registration period.
Additionally, he clarified reports of missing Biometric Verification Machine components, stressing that any discrepancies were promptly reported to security agencies.
Touching on concerns over serial numbers of BVR Kits, Mr Tetteh clarified their critical role in device operation and activation code generation.
Challenge
He, therefore, challenged Election Watch to substantiate its claims of illegal registrations, insisting there was no evidence supporting such allegations.
He further assured the public of stringent measures to prevent unauthorized registrations, including the provision of daily reports to political party agents and the publication of registration figures.
Amid challenges related to minors and non-residents attempting to register, he indicated the EC reported a total of 7,821 challenged cases nationwide.
He, however, expressed the Commission’s satisfaction with the registration progress, having successfully registered 522,025 eligible voters out of the projected 623,000 after 13 days.
Notably, first-time voters aged 18-21 constituted a significant portion of registrants, comprising 85.52% of the total. In light of recent errors in registration infographics, he rendered apologies to political parties and stakeholders, announcing corrective actions and personnel changes.
Additionally, the EC took swift action against an official involved in irregular registrations.
Unlikely extension
He also indicated that it was “not feasible” to extend the deadline for the ongoing voter registration exercise.
Despite encountering technical challenges in the first two days of the exercise, he stressed that the process had since been smooth across the country without any hindrance.
The registration of new voters for Election 2020 began on May 7, 2024, and is scheduled to close on May 27, 2024. Mr Tettey said the 21-day period allotted for the exercise was sufficient.
He noted that unlike the first week, where large queues were recorded in some registration centres, the numbers had reduced in many centres with a week remaining until the scheduled closure of the process.
He mentioned that the Commission’s mobile teams had been deployed to hard-to-reach areas to enable applicants who may not be able to access the district registration centers.
“This is adequate to cover all difficult areas that the Commission earmarked. We don’t actually think that at this time it is even feasible for anyone to call for an extension,” he added.
Data released by the EC indicate that as of the close of registration on the 13th day of the exercise on Sunday, May 19, 2024, a total of 522,025 new voters had been registered, out of which 446,416 (85.52%) were first-time voters between the ages of 18-21.
Out of the total figure, 246,455, representing 47.21% of the registered voters, were males, and 275,570, representing 52.79%, were females.
Mr. Tettey said a total of 813 persons living with disabilities had been registered across the country. “The total number of challenged cases across the country stands at 7,821,” he added.
Regional Breakdown
The Greater Accra region has registered 74,420 voters (14.3%); North East, 14,147 (2.7%); Upper East, 20,125 (3.9%); Northern, 47,948 (9.2%); Bono, 20,886 (4.0%); Bono East, 18,861 (3.6%); Volta, 26,486 (5.1%); Upper West, 15,652 (3.0%); Eastern, 48,563 (9.3%); Central, 56,141 (10.8%), and Ahafo, 10,861 (2.1%).
The remaining registrations are Ashanti, 90,480 (17.3%); Western North, 16,225 (3.1%); Oti, 14,844 (2.8%); Savannah, 12,767 (2.4%); and Western Region, 33,609 (6.4%).