NDC renews demand for forensic audit of voters’ register at EC’s meeting

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has raised serious concerns about the credibility of the current voters’ register, describing it as “unfit-for-purpose” during a meeting with the Electoral Commission (EC) on September 6, 2024.

The meeting, intended to address various issues surrounding the register, was not broadcast live, contrary to the NDC’s request.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Omane Boamah, Director of Elections and IT questioned whether the decision to bar the media was made by the Commission or influenced by external factors.

He emphasized the importance of addressing these concerns now rather than waiting for Election Day, reiterating that the NDC does not intend to take electoral disputes to court.

One of the key issues raised by Dr. Boamah was the delayed release of the provisional voter register to the NDC, which he said was made available only hours before the exhibition exercise began.

This delay, he argued, prevented the party from thoroughly examining the register for anomalies and irregularities ahead of time.

“If we had had enough time, the EC may not have found itself in this quagmire of numerous avoidable errors that have confronted Ghanaians since the register was exhibited,” Dr. Boamah stated.

He criticized the Commission’s response to these errors, rejecting the idea that such mistakes are acceptable merely because the exhibition process allows for corrections, objections, and inclusions.

Dr. Boamah highlighted the unprecedented level of inaccuracy in this year’s voter exhibition exercise, noting that nearly every regional EC office is facing significant problems that they are struggling to address, even with round-the-clock efforts.

He cited an intercepted internal EC message as evidence of the extent of the challenges, which involve tracking discrepancies in voter transfer figures across regions and districts.

The NDC representative also raised concerns about unauthorized voter transfers, questioning how district directors could move voters without their knowledge and what roles the returning officers and technicians played in this process.

To address these issues, Dr. Omane Boamah called for a forensic audit of the 2020, end-2023, and 2024 voters’ registers.

He suggested that the audit would help uncover the root causes of the unprecedented errors observed during the 2024 voter exhibition exercise and restore confidence in the electoral process.

The NDC further demanded a re-exhibition of the register to ensure transparency and accuracy ahead of the December 7 general elections.

Source:classfmonline.com