NDC’s agitations on voter register deceptive - NPP
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the recent agitations by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) about the 2024 provisional voters register as needless and deceptive.
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Moreover, it said the move by the NDC was mischievous and a deliberate attempt to create tension in the country, knowing very well that it was bound to lose the 2024 general election.
The General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said this at a press conference in Accra on Thursday afternoon.
He indicated that the NPP found it difficult to comprehend the call by the NDC for an independent forensic audit of the provisional voters register for the 2024 general election based on alleged errors and discrepancies.
Law
“In addressing a critical matter of this nature, the law and history must always serve as a guide. The Constitutional Instrument (CI) on the Registration of Voter, C.I. 91 as amended by C.I. 127, anticipated such errors and made provisions for remedy of any such occurrence.
“For emphasis, C.I. 127 makes provision for the resolution of discrepancies such as the inclusion of omitted names, removal of names of deceased voters from the register, correction to wrong spelling of names, correction to wrong registration centre codes, replacement of poor quality Voter ID Cards, and also makes provision for the transfer of voters, special voter’s list and objection to names of unqualified voters on the register,” he said.
Thus, Mr Frimpong said the identification of any of such errors in the provisional register did not call for an independent forensic audit as being demanded by the NDC, adding that a careful study of the petition submitted by the NDC to the EC vis-à-vis the provisions of C.I. 127, established one undisputed fact, there was no need for an independent forensic audit of the provisional register as the existing electoral laws offer a clear pathway to resolving all concerns raised by the NDC.
EC, NDC meeting
Mr Frimpong noted that before the NDC’s demonstration on September 17, 2024, the EC granted a stakeholder meeting with the NDC on Friday, September 6, 2024, after the NDC had requested a meeting in a letter dated August 27, 2024, and that the meeting accorded the NDC an opportunity to present their concerns of alleged discrepancies regarding the 2024 Provisional Voter Register (PVR) to the EC.
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He said it was also public knowledge that during the said meeting with the EC, the NDC indicated that they had identified five issues with the PVR, details of which include; missing names and photos of registered voters, misplaced voter transfers, deleted names of registered voters, unidentified voter transfer paths and unauthorised voter transfers.
Furnish
“Based on the above concerns regarding the provisional register, the NDC implored the EC to accept an independent forensic audit of the provisional register and re-exhibit same.
“We can also not run from the fact that during the September 6, 2024 meeting, the EC requested the NDC to furnish it with details of all the discrepancies it had identified. To date, the NDC is yet to submit such information to the EC,” he emphasised that it was hypocritical for the NDC to be ordering the EC to conduct an independent forensic audit of the provisional register.