Ghana’s biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is pushing for an audit of the country’s voter register as it makes claims of identified irregularities.
It has gone a step further to stage a street protest across the country this week, hoping to force the electoral commission to hid its call for an audit.
Party officials have told the media that they have identified errors in the electoral roll for the upcoming general eelctions in December.
“We are not asking for a big favor from the electoral commission, we are demanding our right to free and fair elections,” Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, the chairman of the NDC told party members at the protest on Tuesday.
The opposition party claims there are illegal name transfers, missing voters and the inclusion of the names of over 50,000 dead people on the electoral roll.
The party leaders also claim that nearly 300,000 anomalies have been discovered and now want an audit to guarantee the credibility of the register.
But the electoral commission has responded saying the calls for an audit are misguided and unnecessary. Its officials say mistakes highlighted previously have all been corrected.
This week’s protests by the opposition though is an attempt to force the commission to re-think its current stance.
But the ruling party though doesn’t support any kind of audit of the current register. Its officials say they have “faith in the Electoral Commission’s independence to ensure a credible vote in December”.
Presidential and parliamentary elections will take lace in Ghana in December with current President Akufo-Addo due to step down after completing his mandated two terms.
Former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC, who lost in the 2016 and 2020 elections is challenging current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party for the presidency this year.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
