NPP, NDC Fight Over Limited Registration

More than 150 voter registration forms of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the ongoing limited voter registration in Hohoe in the Volta region were destroyed by agents of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC).

This followed a misunderstanding between the party agents over voter registration data captured by officials of the EC.

The scuffle disrupted and delayed the registration process for about five hours after the NPP party agent was said to have challenged the eligibility of a registered voter claiming the data on voters registered daily as released by the EC did not tally with the data the party agents recorded.

Mr. Anthony Kondobrey, the New Patriotic Party Hohoe Constituency Chairman said the party became alarmed when the EC released data on registered voters on Thursday, June 27, 2019, adding that the EC gave about 200 registered voters to have been captured by the Biometric Voter’s Registration (BVR) machines as compared to 145 voters recorded by the party agent.

He said the situation prompted intense vigilance by the party and to challenge the registration of unqualified persons.

Mr. George Bright Anni Bansah, the National Democratic Congress Hohoe Constituency Chairman, however, said the discrepancies in the numbers of registered voters released by the EC occurred once, which did not warrant alleged intimidation of first time qualified voters by the NPP.

He called on the police to arrest people behind the destruction of the materials, saying, their actions were against the law.

Mr. Kwabena Karikari, the Hohoe Municipal Electoral Officer has confirmed the destruction of the materials saying none of the parties called on the EC to express any grievances and described the destruction of the materials as unfortunate.

He also said the Commission agreed to bring out the BVR machines that were being operated in one of the offices of the Commission to be used outside for openness, though the office had always been the place used during registrations and expressed the hope of protection from the police.