NDC’s demand for forensic audit of voter’s register timely – Alidu Seidu
A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Department of Political Science, Prof Alidu Seidu says the request by the National Democratic Congress for a forensic audit of the voter's register is timely.
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According to him, the Electoral Commission (EC) could dispel doubts about the fairness and accuracy of the voter register by conducting such an audit.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Tuesday, September 17, he said, “I think it is in the best interest of the EC to conduct the forensic audit of the voter's register. When people are saying you are not fair or the processes are not fair and the register is not accurate, why don’t you just prove them wrong? Why can’t you just let the process go on?”
“If the NDC identified challenges in the register and calls for a complete audit, I think the process is timely and should be done now rather than later.”
The call for a foreign audit comes amid a notable decline in public trust towards the EC, courts and police as noted in the latest Afrobarometer survey.
The data, collected from 1999 to 2022, reveals a concerning decline in public confidence in these crucial institutions.
On that note, Prof Seidu stated that if a political party doubted the reliability of the voter register, it would be prudent to conduct an audit.
“So if the Afrobarometer measures people’s opinions this way and a political party is saying that they are not very confident in the register we are going to use, why don’t you give them the benefit of the doubt and let the audit be done then you prove them wrong that everything is good.”
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“If we begin to hold this position, it deepens the suspicion people have that the process is not going to be free and fair and the register is not as accurate as we think. Even in developed democracies, they allow for audits where it is necessary,” he said.