KNUST appeals to EC for more centres
The authorities of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), have appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to open more than two registration centres on campus to ensure that no student is disenfranchised.
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It stated that there were large numbers of students who were not registered during the five days when the registration centre was placed at the university campus and that if the EC did not bring back more registration centres, a lot of students who are qualified to register could not do so and thus would not be able to exercise their franchise during elections.
The University Relations Officer (URO) of the KNUST, Mr Vincent Ankamah Lomotey, told the Daily Graphic he believed the EC would put in measures to ensure that students have the opportunity to register.
Mr Lomotey was reacting to concerns raised by the Daily Graphic about the fact that just after five days of registration at the Commercial Area on campus, which saw less than 400 students registering, the centre had been removed and placed outside of campus.
During the five-day registration on campus, long queues were formed but less than 100 were registered a day, leaving majority of the students stranded as to how to get their names on the voters roll.
Currently, the centre had been placed at the Ayiduase Primary School, which is outside the university campus.
Concern
Mr Lomotey explained that unfortunately, the five-day registration period coincided with very busy time on campus when some students were writing examination and could not spend time in long queues to register.
Students
Priscilla Akenua Asiedu, a Level 400 student told the Daily Graphic she could not register because she was writing examination and did not have the luxury of time to join long and winding queues to register.
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She explained that those who had time to register were those willing to spend over four hours in a queue, while quite a number of her mates just wasted their time in the queues and wondered why the EC could not bring about four more centres to the school where most of them have turned 18 and would want to register.
Richard Kwadwo Fosu, a first year student, said he was put off by the long queues even on the fifth day on campus and that he planned to travel to any of the nearby communities and register anytime he would be free.
“I know the EC does not want us to register; that is why they brought only one centre to tens of thousands of students just for five days,” he alleged.