By Benjamin Asalimba, Kumasi
As Ghana approaches its next general elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) of the country finds itself in the midst of a heated debate concerning the transparency and validity of the provisional voter register. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed concerns regarding the integrity of the voter registration process, pointing to discrepancies and illegal voter transfers.
Mr. Arnold Appiah, President of the NDC Professionals Forum-USA and Director of International Affairs, believes that the EC’s explanation is insufficient to reassure Ghanaians and the NDC of the credibility of the voter register.
According to Mr. Appiah, the EC should have acknowledged the NDC’s concerns as legitimate and provided a detailed account of how these discrepancies and illegal transfers occurred, who authorized them, and the motivations behind such actions.
“For the EC to simply state that they have corrected the errors without providing any transparency is not enough for the NDC to believe that the EC is capable of producing a credible and transparent voter register,” he said.
Mr. Appiah emphasized that the NDC remains skeptical about the accuracy and credibility of the provisional voter register, citing specific instances that justify their claims of discrepancies.
These concerns, he said, raise fears of potential voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice. However, he continued that the EC has not provided a professional and detailed explanation to the good people Ghanaian regarding how these errors occurred.
The president of the professional forum-USA made these statements in an exclusive interview on Radio Gold in Accra. He, however, urged the NDC to demand that the EC produce a transparent and credible voter register to restore public confidence among all stakeholders.
He warned that any perceived lack of transparency in the compilation of the provisional register could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
“The EC’s system is flawed—they mismanaged it, deleted data, and transferred voters illegally. This demonstrates that the system can not be trusted,” Mr. Appiah stressed.
The director of the International Affairs concluded by advising the NDC to press the EC for answers on how these irregularities occurred, who authorized them, who was responsible for managing the system, and who was involved in the loss of equipment. He underscored that these serious issues must be resolved before the December 7 general elections to ensure a fair and credible process.
