The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has denied a request from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for a forensic audit of the voter register. The EC, in response to the NDC’s petition, emphasized that discrepancies identified in the Provisional Voter Register (PVR) have largely been addressed and that the process will be repeated ahead of the 2024 elections, following the same procedures as in 2020.
“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 EC stated in its response.
The Commission also extended an invitation to the NDC for further discussions on the issue, expressing confidence in their resolution of the discrepancies. “We invite your team to the discussion table as we believe it will allow us to demonstrate to you that the discrepancies detected in the PVR have been resolved,” the statement read.
In rejecting the call for a forensic audit, the EC cited existing legal and administrative procedures for cleaning the PVR, which they believe have not been fully exhausted. The Commission argued that these mechanisms make a forensic audit unnecessary at this stage.
“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,” the EC explained.
The EC concluded by urging the NDC and the public to trust in the Commission’s ability to deliver on its mandate of ensuring credible elections. “We entreat the NDC and the general public to trust us to deliver our mandate,” the statement concluded.
By Lawrence Odoom