The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority in Parliament has raised concerns about the voter register exhibition, alleging that it has been tampered with. According to them, the voter register has been riddled with irregularities and flaws which the Electoral Commission (EC) has already admitted.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, September 3, the Minority Leader asserted that the NDC cannot vouch for the integrity of the voter register. Dr Cassiel Ato Forson claimed that the details of the irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted, reiterating the stance of the opposition NDC for a forensic audit of the register.
“The Electoral Commission has admitted that the voter register is riddled with irregularities and flaws. I dare say, Mr Speaker, the scale of these irregularities is such that someone may have tampered with the voter register database. Mr Speaker, I’m sorry to say that we cannot vouch for the integrity of the voter register as it stands at the moment. The details of these irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted. We, therefore, demand a forensic audit into the voter register database,” he said.
But responding to these claims, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin insisted that the NDC is seeking to bastardise independent state institutions. Mr Afenyo-Markin said the claim that the register has been tampered with is unfounded.
“….He urged us not to condemn state institutions that are given constitutional mandates including the Electoral Commission. I would want to plead with my respected colleagues to say that the Electoral Commission’s register for the 2024 elections is not credible, and is very rich.
Where we identify challenges, let’s take these challenges on board. Let’s not attack the Electoral Commission and erode the confidence the people have in the Electoral Commission and our democracy. We can do all the criticism but we should ensure that we will hold in fidelity to the institutions of state that have the responsibility to shepherd this democracy through difficult times,” he said.
By: Prince Adu-Owusu
