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Tag: voters register

  • EC to register students left out during two-day exercise

    The Ghana Education Service (GES) on Monday said the Electoral Commission would announce additional days for eligible students who were unable to register during the two-day registration period.

    The exercise, which started on Friday, July 10, ended on Saturday, July 11, 2020.

    The GES encouraged schools, which were originally earmarked as registration centres to arrange with the EC officials to register the students when it reached their turn.

    A statement issued and signed by Mrs Cassandra Twum Ampofo, the Head of Public Relations, GES, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, expressed appreciation to directors of education, heads of schools, staff and students, EC and political party officials and observer groups for the successful organisation of the exercises on the school campuses.

    It urged all schools participating in the exercise and observers to ensure strict compliance of the COVID-I9 protocols.

    Source: GNA

  • EC’s registration exercise Day 12: Volta-274,063, Ashanti-816,481, Greater Accra-929,366 registered

    Friday 13th July, 2020, The Electoral Commission Of Ghana has released the total provisional number of people who have registered for the ongoing Voter Registration Exercise.

    The number and percentage for the various Regions are are as follows;

    First on the List is Greater Accra Region, recording 929,366 representing 20.9%

    Second is Ashanti Region with 816,481, represent 18.4%.

    Third on list is Eastern Region with the total number of 421,467 which is 9.5% of the total number registered.

    Central Region takes the fourth position with 415,799 and it is 9.4%.

    Next on the list Western Region which has 287,222 representing 6.5%. fifth on the list.

    Sixth on the is Volta Region with number of 274,063 and it is 6.2%.

    Seventh and Eighth on the list are Northern Region and Bono Region with 254,575(5.7%) and 177,424(4.0%) respectively.

    Bono East Region and Upper East took the 9th and 10th position with the total number of 163,680(3.7%) and 147,365(3.3%) respectively.

    The rest of the Regions are as follows;

    11th position is Western North Region with 117,062(2.6%).

    12th Region is Upper West with total number of 115,281 representing 2.6%.

    13th and 14th positions are the Ahafo and Oti Region which recorded 86,498(1.9%) and 83,799(1.88%) respectively.

    The last two Regions on the list are the Savana and North East with each recording 78,410(1.8%) and 76,854(1.7%) respectively.

    From the list, the region with the highest number of registered voters is Greater Accra and region with the lowest number of voters is North East.

    Electoral Commission as of day 12 has registered a total number of 4,445,346 and this is provisional. The Commission is especting to register 15,000,000 Ghanaian eligible voters plus or minus 1,000,000.

    SO FAR SO GOOD.

    How do you see the work of the EC?

    Is your Region performing good?

     

  • Togolese arrested in attempt to register

    Immigration officials deployed to border towns in the North East Region have called for the cooperation of residents to help identify foreigners who may enter the country illegally to register.

    They have also described both Phase One and Phase Two of the voter registration exercise in the area as peaceful and smooth.

    Sambruk, Kambatiak, Gbadoug and Mambagan are some of the communities along the Ghana-Togo border.

    These frontiers have a lot of unapproved routes.

    The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) deployed more personnel to these areas with the mandate of ensuring no foreigner from neighbouring Togo participates in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

    The reinforcement team together with officers on the ground have so far blocked various unapproved routes in the area.

    Speaking at the Upper Najong Registration Center in the Bunkpurgu District, the Bunkpurgu District Commander of GIS, DSI Edwin Adjeitey Doku, appealed for support from the residents.

    He revealed the cooperation of the people has led to the arrest of one Togolese national who came to register.

    “Last week when the registration was ongoing at Najong, we arrested one Togolese who came to register and it was as a result of the cooperation of the people who gave us the information.”

    Asked if they have logistical challenges, DSI Doku answered in the affirmative.

    “The unapproved routes are numerous here but our means of transport is limited so I hope our Comptroller General will get us additional motorbikes to aid our operations.”

    A resident, Elijah Silim Laar, explained they will not allow foreigners onto the voter register.

    He mentioned the foreigners affect resource distribution to the area because they are not counted during census.

    EC voter registration exercise

    All applicants who went through registration at the Upper Najong Registration Center did not go through the temperature checking protocol.

    The health official assigned to the Center, Yumandam Daniel, told 3news.com that the EC is yet to give them the thermometer gun.

    More pregnant women, persons with disability (PWDs) and the aged were in their numbers at the registration center.

    According to them, they have no means to go to the office of the Electoral Commission (EC) in Bunkpurgu to register.

    But registration officials say, they give them special care.

    As at the time of filing this report, more than 30 applicants have successfully gone through the registration process.

    Efforts to get the Bunkpurgu District EC Director to comment on the situation yielded no result.

     

    Source: 3 News

  • Suhum Police aiding registration of non-residents – NDC

    Suhum Constituency Executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress NDC are accusing the Police and the Electoral Commission of conniving with the ruling New Patriotic Party to register non-residents bused from Accra and other neighbouring constituencies.

    The Party provided pictures and videos purported to be persons transported in busses and other vehicles from New Abirem, Nima, Maamobi, Ayensuano, Gbawe, Kyebi, Ayensuano among others to register in Suhum for a fee of Ghc50.

    According to the NDC, their party agents and Constituency Executives who protest the registration of these non-residents have been beaten by the NPP supporters marauding in the Constituency without being arrested by the Police.

    They said the Police have instead arrested two of their Constituency Executives, Organizer and communication officer, for resisting the registration of non-residents.

    Addressing the media Monday, the Constituency Chairman and his Vice Joseph Apoo and Philip Triku respectively recounted numerous incidents of intimidation perpetrated by the NPP.

    According to them the party, they will fight back to defend themselves and protect the sanctity of the Voters register.

    They accused the EC of subtly preventing the NDC from challenging suspected non-residents by denying their agents challenge forms.

    “The top hierarchy of the NDC in Suhum Constituency is therefore sounding strong warning to the NPP to desist from all these nefarious activities to forestall peace and sanity to prevail in Suhum.

    “The NPP cannot pinpoint to any developmental project in this Constituency as being achieved under them so they have resorted to busing in People to come and make that decision on 7th December but trust me the NDC within the Suhum Constituency we are going to prevent that. We are going to vehemently prevent and oppose that whatever it takes we are going to do it, we are not going to take the laws into our own hands we are going to use any legitimate means”.

    The communication Officer Daniel Chanor said the NDC will now fiercely resist any attempt to register a non-resident.

    “From today onwards we will not sit down if you are immigrant and if because of Ghc50 you want to register here to choose our MP for us then we are telling you that prepare because we also going to prepare ourselves because we have noticed that the Police are not in to help us and the EC is also in bed with the MCE in the fraud”.

    The Suhum Municipal Police Commander Chief Superintendent Joseph Owusu told Starr News the allegation of bias levelled against Police is false.

    He said so far four persons from both NDC and NPP have been arrested. He said one is to reappear before court on July 17, 2020 while the others are on bail being prepared to be put before court.

    He said the Police is not mandated to interfere in the registration process, therefore, urging the political parties to make use of the challenge measures instituted by the EC to file cases against persons they suspect to be non-residents instead of assaulting or Physically resisting them.

     

    Source: Starr FM

  • We will ensure that all eligible applicants are registered – EC

    The Electoral Commission has assured voter applicants that it will use its mobile teams to work in all centres that faced network challenges on Sunday to ensure that these centres were not disadvantaged.

    Speaking at the Let the Citizen Know, initiative in Accra on Monday, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Service at the EC recalled that due to network challenges, some centres could not start the registration exercise on time or did not do any registration at all as planned on Sunday.

    He said the EC was on top of the issues and was working around the clock to fix the challenges.

    Dr Asare apologized to all applicants affected by the incident yesterday and gave an assurance that the Commission will make up for the hours lost by deploying more of its Mobile Teams to speed up the registration of applicants.

    Touching on the registration in the electoral areas, he stressed that as long as an applicant lived in the electoral area, the fellow could register in the nearest centre.

    He said it was unfortunate that some potential registrants were of the view that because the registration teams have left the centres close to their homes they could not register and vote in the upcoming general election.

    Dr Asare explained that the figures that the Commission had been giving out to the public during briefings were provisional adding, “when the registration is over and all the processes including porting of the data are consummated the Commission will announce the final figures for each region for the information of all our stakeholders. All actors are encouraged to reach out to the Commission regarding any discrepancies in the figures”.

     

    Source: Electoral Commission of Ghana

  • EC warns political parties to desist from bussing applicants to registration centres

    The Electoral Commission on Monday warned parliamentary candidates and operatives of political parties to desist from transporting applicants to the registration centres.

    This is so because the political parties know that the people they are bussing are not residents of the electoral areas where they want to register.

    Dr Bossman Eric Asare, Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Service at the EC asked operatives of political parties to stop fronting for people who were not Ghanaians adding, “the Commission needs the support of all our stakeholders to compile a clean register”.

    He appealed to the political parties to educate their agents to avoid challenges that were needless saying, “challenges must be based on evidence of people violating the rules on voter registration”.

    Dr Asare said some applicants who have registered to vote had been challenged by agents of political parties adding, “the District Registration Review Committees in the districts have started sitting to check whether those who have been challenged qualify to register and vote at the centres where they were challenged,”

    “It is important to point out that a number of these challenges are as a result of people who are alleged not to be citizens of Ghana and not resident in the electoral areas where they want to register and vote”, he said

     

    Source: Electoral Commission of Ghana

  • We have not received any suit on SHS registration – EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) says it has not been served with any suit restraining it from registering applicants in Senior High Schools.

    Responding to a question at the third edition of the Let the Citizen Know, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Service at the EC said the Commission has not received any order stopping it for registering students in senior high schools.

    He told the journalists that registration of students at senior high schools took place last weekend adding, “the Commission is still looking at the option of going back to these schools in the course of the week to register those who did have the chance to register. This is because reports coming to us indicate that in most of the schools the team could not even register 50 percent”.

    According to Dr. Asare, the Commission would endeavour to ensure that every Ghanaian who qualifies was given the chance to register saying that the Commission will also have a mop-up registration exercise for all those who will not be captured during the main phases of the exercise.

    Touching on the performance of the officials, he expressed satisfaction at their work noting that our officials continue to improve their performance with the impressive numbers they continue to register on a daily basis.

    Dr. Asare said the current phase, which began on Sunday is been conducted in 6728 registration centers and the 267 district offices of the Commission.

    “As you can see, the Commission has ramped-up the registration with the doubling of the centers we did last week. This means we are likely to witness an increase in the numbers registered on daily basis this week”, he said.

     

    Source: Electoral Commission of Ghana

  • Awutu Senya East: Four NDC agents arrested over alleged forgery of EC accreditation

    Four National Democratic Congress (NDC) agents in the Awutu Senya East constituency have been arrested for allegedly forging accreditation cards belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC).

    They were eventually let go after a warning from authorities in the area.

    The four were arrested at various registration centres in the constituency in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

    The District Chief Executive for the Awutu Senya East Municipality, Michael Essuman, led a team to arrest the perpetrators.

    “At the end of the day, we discussed and we gave them a warning and then we let them go,” he recounted.

    Mr. Essuman said he had noted some disparities in the numbers of party agents leading to his suspicions.

    “The distribution of agents is supposed to be balanced across registered political parties so I had to do closer scrutiny of those accreditation cards. Then I realised the NDC people had duplicated the EC sanctioned ones. They had even [forged] the signature of the Chairperson,” he remarked to Citi News.

    “I have asked the EC to take decisive steps to correct that one, as of yesterday [Sunday],” the DCE added.

    Mr. Essuman further accused the NDC of intimidation.

    “We cannot outsmart the system. When they go there in their numbers, they intimidate those innocent people who have come to register.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • 7 In court over voter registration disturbances

    A Circuit Court in Accra last Friday remanded seven persons into police custody for causing disturbances at a voters registration centre.

    They are Rashid Tubiga, 23, trader; Usman Abdella, 24, painter; Baba Hamisu, 28, graphic designer; Samir Nuru, 32, footballer; Mamudu Shaibu, 35, barber; Abu Mohammed, 38, mechanic; and Musah Awudu, 40, farmer.

    They were charged with two counts of offensive conduct conducive to the breach of the peace, and obstructing police officers from performing their duty.

    Facts

    Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evans Kesse told the court that at about 7:20 a.m. on July 7, 2020, the police received information that two men had invaded the E.P. Church voters registration centre in Accra New Town wielding machetes and causing disturbances.

    The incident occurred while the voter registration exercise was going on.

    Police personnel went to the location, arrested and handcuffed Rashid Tubiga and Osman Abdella, the two men who had invaded the registration centre.

    While the police were taking the two persons to the Kotobabi Police Station, five men on board a Nissan pick-up vehicle with registration number GC 3286-19 crossed the police vehicle, attacked the police and forcibly took the two arrested persons away in their vehicle.

    Re-arrest

    On July 9, 2020, Tubiga and Abdella were re-arrested, and with the help of some community leaders from Accra New Town, the five other persons who attacked the police team and freed Tubiga and Abdella were also arrested from their hideout.

    Media reports had earlier indicated that the seven were suspected to be national security operatives, but the facts presented to the court did not corroborate that information.

    The court presided over by Ms Sussan Eduful remanded the seven persons into police custody to reappear today, Monday, July 13, 2020.

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

  • Over 4.4 million citizens captured in voters registration – EC

    The Electoral Commission has said it has recorded some 4,445,346 registered applicants in the first eleven days of the ongoing voters registration exercise.

    Providing clarity on the numbers at a press briefing on Monday, July 13, 2020 in Accra, Deputy Commissioner In-Charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare said the figure is almost 30 percent of the projected 15 million applicants the EC is likely to register.

    “So far the Commission has registered a total of 4,445,346. The Greater Accra Region leads with 20.9% of the registered voters. Ashanti Region follows with 18.4%, and the Eastern region is at distant third of 9.5% and the Central region at 9.4%. The North East region is at the bottom with 1.7%,” Mr Asare explained.

    He added the Commission has noted that some potential registrants are of the view that because the registration teams have left the centers close to their homes, they will not be permitted to register in the upcoming December elections.

    “It is important to stress that as long as one lives in the electoral area, he or she can register in the nearest center close to his or her house,” he assured.

    Due to some delay at some registrations centres on Sunday, July 12, 2020, as a result of network challenges, the EC says it will use its mobile teams to work in all these centers as a way of ensuring applicants will not be disadvantaged.

    The compilation of a new voters register by the EC commenced on June 30, 2020, through to July 5, 2020, in the first phase of the exercise across the country.

    The exercise, which is expected to last for 38 days, is projected to capture the biometric data of about 17 million Ghanaians eligible to vote ahead of the 2020 December 7 general elections.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Voters register: Well make up for lost time at registration centres EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has said it will make up for time lost at some registration centres where registration delayed on Sunday 12 July 2020 due to activation/network problems.

    Some registration centres in the country experienced technical problems as a result of bad network and, therefore, could not start on the stipulated time of 7 am as spelt out by the EC for the commencement of the exercise.

    The EC in a statement signed by Mrs Sylvia Annor, Ag. Director Public Affairs noted that “details of the extension for the affected registration centres will be communicated in due course.”

    The third phase of the voter registration exercise began on Sunday, 12 July and will end on 17 July 2020.

    The EC urged all stakeholders to cooperate with it to make the ongoing registration exercise a success.

    Source: Class FM

  • EC ends nationwide registration of SHS students

    The Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday began registering eligible voters in Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country but there were setbacks at some of the schools.

    The two-day special exercise was targeted at final year students and those in form-two gold track who were 18 or more but could not join the mainstream exercise because they were in school.

    However, the EC officials were yet to arrive at some schools in Accra as at the time the Ghanaian Times got there. They included Odorgono SHS, Wesley Grammar and Kaneshie SHS (KATECO).

    When the news team arrived at KATECO at noon, the school had designated areas for the exercise with furniture arranged in readiness but the EC team were yet to arrive.

    A staff who asked not to be named was oblivious of reasons for the absence but he indicated that they would continue to wait for them or further communication from stakeholders involved in the exercise.

    At Wesley Grammar, health personnel who was supposed to be part of the officials was present but the main team were yet to turn up. EC officials were not at Odorgono SHS as of 11:45.

    The situation at Accra Wesley Girls SHS was, however, different when the Ghanaian Times visited at 11:00.

    The EC officials were at post and had registered 30 students so far with others awaiting their turn.

    Social distancing, wearing of masks and other protocol were observed. Some teachers were also waiting to register.

    In an interview, Charles Tackie, an EC technician and supervisor of data entry clerks, said their target was 150 students per pay, expressing optimism that they could achieve the target due to the smooth progression of the exercise.

    He said about 50 per cent of the students who had registered so far presented their Ghana card as proof of nationality while the rest relied on friends as guarantors.

    In all 750 out of 779 students had reported to school but not all of them were eligible, according to Ms Letitia Bray, the headmistress.

    The special exercise which formed part of the nationwide compilation of a new register was announced at an emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held between the EC and IPAC on Thursday.

    As part of the extended exercise, mobile registration officers from the EC were deployed to about 700 SHS campuses after the Ghana Education Service (GES) had written to the Commission.

    The SHS students returned to school on June 22, as part of the partial reopening of school after several weeks of closure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

    From Sunyani, Daniel Dzirasah reports that registration of senior high school students announced by the EC took with a few hiccups.

    At the Sunyani Senior High school where five registration centres were created, it came out that the printing machines could not capture the fingerprint of registrants.

    According to the registration officer Victor Gyan, the printer could not capture the fingerprints of registrants and as such had slow the registration process.

    He said affected applicants were made to wait until the machine was able to capture their details.

    He told this reporter that although the exercise began around 8:00 am, he could not provide the number of students who had registered and that of those who had been guaranteed.

    A similar situation pertained in all the five centres in the school.

    The registration officer of Twene Amanfo Senior High, Mr Jacob Kwame Ofori told the Ghanaian Times that 33 students had registered as at 11:48 am with 20 guarantors guaranteeing for the registrants.

    At the St James Senior high School, Rev. Father Alex Ansu Ebo, headmaster of the school said the school was a polling centre and that the registration exercise had not started yet.

    Dzifa Tetteh, reports from Ashaiman that at the Ashaiman Senior High School in the Ashaiman Municipality, there was no registration exercise going on.

    Rather students were engaged in a clean-up exercise on the compound and its surroundings.

    The Assistant Head for Administration of the School, Elikplim Setsoafia-Logbavi in an interview with the Ghanaian Times explained that the school received a message from the Electoral Commission on Thursday that the registration of their students had been rescheduled.

    He said since the school was also a Registration Centre, days would be allocated for students to also register when it was the turn for the area to have its registration exercise later this month.

    Some of the students who spoke in an interview said they were disappointed that they could not do it at the same time as their colleagues from other institutions because they were excited to register and vote for the first time.

    However, they were also happy that an assurance had been given that when registration starts in the area they would have the opportunity to do so.

    From Ho, Kafui Gati reports that contrary to concerns raised over the legal basis for the registration of Senior High School students at campuses not gazetted, the exercise started yesterday in some schools in the Ho Municipality.

    At Mawuli Senior High School, a total of 1,100 eligible students and staff were expected to go through the two-day exercise.

    According to the headmaster, Mr Gustav Adomah, all the necessary safety protocols have been put in place.

    He explained that students were to go through the exercise first before staff members since they could not go outside the school to register after the two-day exercise.

    When the Ghanaian Times got to E.P Mawuko Girls Senior High School, the situation was not different with students seated two meters apart.

    The school authorities noted that they were expecting 508 eligible students to register.

    Some of the students Ghanaian Times interviewed said even though the exercise has been smooth, many of them were not having the Ghana Card and have to wait for their colleagues vouch for them.

    Mr Samuel Agudza, a registration official stated that the exercise has been smooth with all the students taken through the safety protocols.

    He assured that all the schools in the Ho Municipality would benefit from the two-day exercise.

    The registration of students by the Electoral Commission comes after some members of the public raised concerns about the exercise.

    But in a sharp response, the Electoral Commission said its decision to commence the voter registration exercise in the various Senior High Schools in the country was to avoid disenfranchising eligible voter students.

    Source: kingdomfmonline.com

  • Police investigates video of an officer assaulting a woman at a registration centre

    “The attention of the Police Administration has been drawn to a video circulating on social media in which a police officer is seen slapping a woman at a place believed to be a Voters Registration Centre,” the Ghana Police Service shared on their Facebook page on Saturday.

    The service also noted that it had already commenced investigations into the matter and assured that facts of the matter will be provided to the public in due time.

    “The Police Administration wishes to assure the public that it has commenced an investigation into the matter and will provide facts of the matter to the public in due time, all should be assured,” the post stated.

    On Saturday, July 11, 2020, GhanaWeb reported of the viral video on social media in which a police officer could be heard threatening his victim seconds before following his words with a slap.

    The video has since generated several comments on social media with various opinions being shared amidst anger towards the actions of the police officer.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Voter registration: Police vow to crack down on lawlessness at Asutifi South

    Security operatives in the Asutifi South Constituency have vowed to crack down on acts lawlessness in the Constituency.

    The District Police Commander for Goaso, DSP Danso Abeam, reveals that his outfit will not tolerate any acts that will affect the success of the on-going voter registration exercise.

    DSP Danso Abeam reveals that the decision to deal with trouble makers follows excesses that were recorded in the first phase of the voter registration exercise at Acherensua which allegedly saw someone spraying pepper spray into the eyes of the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda.

    According to DSP Danso Abeam, they have since beefed up security in the constituency and warned that any acts of hooliganism will be tolerated.

    The District Police Commander made the revelation at a meeting with traditional authorities, political parties, religious bodies and other stakeholders at Nkasem.

    He warned that any individual or group of individuals who will try to thwart the voter registration process will be met with equal and legitimate force.

    He added that such individuals when arrested will be put before the law court for the appropriate sanctions to be applied against them.

    “Following some unfortunate incidents we recorded during the first phase of the voter registration exercise, we have beefed up the security in the constituency to ensure that the on-going registration is held without any disruption from party thugs. This time around, we are not joking, any individual who engages in any act aimed derailing the registration process will be dealt with according to law by the security”.

    Source: Aboagye Frank, Ghanaweb Contributor

  • Outrage as soldiers disperse registrants in Ahafo Ano North before registration ends

    About 300 registrants at D/A Primary Akwadaanyame 1 in the Ahafo Ano North Constituency were forcibly dispersed by gun-wielding military officers from the 3rd Infantry Battalion at 4pm on Saturday before the closing of registration.

    The BVRs had been breaking down intermittently throughout the day, according to our correspondent.

    The polling center is a perceived stronghold of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

    Some key NDC officials present at the scene expressed worry about the development which could disenfranchise several potential voters.

    “All these tactics have been deployed by the EC/NPP to disenfranchise many of the qualified Ghanaian registrants.

    The EC refused to deploy its Mobile BVR to the centre in spite of numerous calls to the office. Again, they spent more than 4hrs to respond by sending a technician instead whose presence did not solve the problem,* an executive said.

    Another noted: “We have filed an irregularity complaint and taken stock of about 300 registrants who were queued and subsequently dispersed by the military

    “I was nearly attacked by one of the military personnel who came from Sunyani (3BN)… When he ordered his colleagues to start whipping the registrants, I had to give in and ask the crowd to move from the center.”

    “It was a scary situation for the residents of the area and its adjoining communities,” one Yaw Brogya Genfi stressed.

    The EC is yet to officially comment on the incident.

    Source: Daily Mail

  • NDC sues Electoral Commission over registration on campuses

    The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sued the Electoral Commission (EC) at an Accra High Court to stop the planned registration of voters in Senior High Schools.

    The party contends it is illegal and wrongful for registration to take place at any place that was not contained in a Gazette and notification in accordance with C.I 91.

    They want the court to rule that any such registration is null and void and of no legal effect.

    The EC has announce moves to take registration to campuses.

    The commission further indicated that students who participate in the exercise will be allowed to move their votes to their preferred location later in the year if they happen to reside in areas far away from the schools where registration is to take place.

    The NDC is in the High Court asking that an order be given to exclude names of persons who will be registered at “those illegal centres” from the electoral roll come December 2020.

    They also want the EC restrained from carrying out such registration.

     

    Source: myjoyonline

  • Political parties advised against politicking in schools

    The Ghana Education Service (GES) on Friday advised political party representatives observing the voter registration of students not to use the campuses for partisan politics.

    A statement signed by Mrs Cassandra Twum Ampofo, the Head of Public Relations, GES, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, directed schools to put in place measures to ensure strict compliance with coronavirus health and safety protocols and asked political parties and observers to respect the measures.

    It further charged all heads of schools under the supervision of regional and district directors to ensure that necessary arrangements were put in place for the smooth take-off of the exercise.

    The Electoral Commission (EC) upon request from GES on Thursday, July 9, announced in a statement that it would embark on a two-day registration exercise for all eligible Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education Training students across the country.

    The two-day exercise started on Friday, July 10, and would end on Saturday, July 11, 2020.

    The exercise is taking place in all schools that did not have polling stations. The statement said additional days would be announced when necessary to ensure that no one was left out.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Well use all legal means to stop ECs registration in schools – NDC

    A Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Peter Boamoah Otokunor has slammed the Electoral Commission (EC) for conduct a registration exercise in secondary schools.

    He said although the EC has started the exercise, the NDC will use all available means to stop the “illegality”.

    Mr. Otoklunor indicated despite their disapproval of this decision, they have deployed polling agents to all the secondary schools where the exercise is being conducted.

    He told Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that, these newly created centres have not been gazetted to allow for their use in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

    He explained to the news team the law states clearly that the EC has the power to create polling stations but when they do so, they must go through the process of gazetting and publishing them to political parties, 21 days before the time.

    He further alleged the ruling NPP was using their vigilante groups to intimidate and attack NDC supporters.

    The police he noted must step in to protect their supporters of they would be forced to defend themselves.

    He advised the EC to ensure the safety protocols in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus at all the registration centres are adhered to.

     

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • Schools were reopened for voter registration not exams – NDC claims

    The National Democratic Congress has claimed that government’s purpose for making all final year students resume classes was purely on political benefits.

    Addressing the media today at the party’s headquarters in Accra, the NDC claimed the purpose of the resumption was for the government to assemble students for the ongoing voters registration by the Electoral Commission.

    Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Director of Elections for the NDC reiterated per the alleged comments by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information that there might be a possible lockdown after the registration, it confirms the government’s intentions.

    “It has come to light the decision by government to send final year and Gold track students to school had nothing to do with preparation towards examination but the hidden agenda was to assemble them for registration. We have had the minister of information giving hint that there could be a partial lockdown anytime soon after the registration” He said

    He continued “so what is this whole agenda of asking student to go back to school about? Send them back to school under the guise of writing examination. The student are virtually hostages in the schools because their parents are not allowed to them.”

    He sent a message of caution to the Electoral Commission, that going ahead to register SHS students without gazetting the designated polling center demonstrate it’s illegality.

    The party is urging them to operate within its own laws and mandate as outlined in C1 91.

    “We reiterate our position that the EC must at all times operate within its laws. To this end, we remind that the EC according to C.I 91 they are required to gazette a designated polling center for 21 days. In the absence of that, any so called registration center be it in a school or elsewhere is illegal.

    Meanwhile, the EC has begun a 2 days registration exercise for all eligible SHS students across the country.

    According to EC, this registration exercise will take place in all Senior High schools that do not have polling stations within the schools.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Njuasco students rely on teachers, mates as guarantors to register

    Several students of the New Juaben Senior High School (NJUASCO) had to rely on mates and teachers to go through the registration process.

    The students had no passport nor Ghana Cards, which are the requisite documents for registration.

    A number of the final-year students had queued on seats, guided by their teachers, to go through the process.

    Registration is being done for those who are 18, but according to classes to avoid overcrowding at the centre.

    For those who do not have the required documents, they have to wait for their mates who have Ghana Cards to go through the process before they serve as guarantors for them to also register.

    Hand hygiene facilities have been made available and other Covid-19 protocols are observed at the centre.

    About 30 applicants comprising students and teachers had gone through the exercise at the time of filling this report.

    Students who hailed from Koforidua have been informed to choose polling centres close by.

    Those who reside outside Koforidua would be placed at Atekyem Number One Polling Station before they can have the opportunity to transfer their vote at the appropriate time.

    Source: 3 News

  • Voter Registration: No partisan politics in SHSs EC warns party agents

    The Ghana Education Service(GES) has advised party agents to desist from using second cycle institutions as grounds for partisan politicking, while they monitor ongoing voter registration exercise in second-cycle institutions.

    Registration of qualified Senior High School students by the Electoral Commission is ongoing on SHS campuses across the country.

    A statement by the Ghana Education Service IGES) has thus directed all Heads of Schools under the supervision of Regional and District Directors to ensure that the necessary arrangements are put in place for the smooth take off of the exercise.

    The statement further directed schools to put in measures to ensure strict compliance with the COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

     

    Source: Kasapa FM

  • Njuasco students rely on teachers, mates as guarantors to register

    Several students of the New Juaben Senior High School (NJUASCO) had to rely on mates and teachers to go through the registration process.

    The students had no passport nor Ghana Cards, which are the requisite documents for registration.

    A number of the final-year students had queued on seats, guided by their teachers, to go through the process.

    Registration is being done for those who are 18, but according to classes to avoid overcrowding at the centre.

    For those who do not have the required documents, they have to wait for their mates who have Ghana Cards to go through the process before they serve as guarantors for them to also register.

    Hand hygiene facilities have been made available and other Covid-19 protocols are observed at the centre.

    About 30 applicants comprising students and teachers had gone through the exercise at the time of filling this report.

    Students who hailed from Koforidua have been informed to choose polling centres close by.

    Those who reside outside Koforidua would be placed at Atekyem Number One Polling Station before they can have the opportunity to transfer their vote at the appropriate time.

     

    Source: 3 News

  • GES warns party agents as registration begins in SHSs

    The Ghana Education Service (GES) has asked political party agents assigned to senior high schools where the new voter registration is going to take place to conduct themselves according to law.

    The Service warned that the schools cannot be used as a place for partisan politicking.

    These were contained in a statement issued on Friday, July 10 as the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) sets up registration centres in all senior high schools.

    The EC at an emergency meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) decided to send registration officials to senior high schools to register students who have turned 18 years and above and eligible to vote.

    The exercise will take two days Friday and Saturday.

    The EC directed political parties to assign agents to schools where registration centres will be set up.

    But in its statement signed by Head of Public Relations Unit Cassandra Twum Ampofo, the GES noted that all heads of schools under the supervision of regional and district directors of education have been directed to ensure that necessary arrangements are made for a smooth exercise.

    “The schools have been directed to put in measures to ensure strict compliance with the Covid-19 health and safety protocols and it is the expectation of management of GES that officials of Electoral Commission and the political party representatives, as well as any observer groups present, will do same during the period.”

    The new registration of eligible voters began nationwide on Tuesday, June 30.

    It is scheduled to end on Thursday, August 6.

     

    Source: 3 News

  • Voter Registration: Muntaka alleges busing of SHS students to registration centres

    Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed-Muntaka Mubarak has alleged busing of final year and form two Gold Track Senior High Students to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise in his constituency.

    In a letter written to the Ghana Education Service (GES), the legislator alleges that there have been two separate incidences of students being bused to registration centres to register even though they do not hail from the Asawase constituency.

    The Asawase legislator, in the letter, is calling for the intervention of the GES to stop any of such incidents from happening again.

    He also accused the teachers and students who have taken part in the alleged act of breaking the Representation of People Law 1993 PNDCL 284. He also raised concerns about the risk of exposing the students to COVID-19.

    In the letter, he indicates that “about thirty students of the Asanteman Senior High School were bused to two polling centres at Asabi-a suburb of the Asokore Manpong Municipal which makes up the Asawase Constituency. They were identified as not living, residing or hailing from any of the Asokore Manpong Municipal (Asawase Constituency) towns or communities and for that matter the Asawase Constituency.”

    He also added that the students accused one Mr Bismark Fordjour (AKA Anadwo) of busing them to the registration centre.

    The letter also indicated that as part of efforts to prevent the students from getting lynched, they handed them over to the Asokore Manpong District Police Command.

    According to Muntaka Mubarak, “further checks also revealed that Bismark Fordjour is a tutor at the Asanteman Senior High School.”

     

    The letter also alleged that some students of the Osei Kyeretwei Secondary School at Parkuso, some of which are minors, were bused to some polling stations to register even though they do not reside in the area.

    Media reports and earlier allegations

    Seven out of twenty-one final year students of Asanteman Senior High school allegedly bused by a tutor Bismark Okyere to register in the Asawase Constituency were arrested on Friday, July 03, 2020.

    One student was first arrested when he was spotted in a queue attempting to register.

    The student upon sensing danger following the anger of the NDC supporters at the registration centre attempted to run but luck eluded him when he was apprehended.

    The timely intervention of the Incumbent MP for the constituency Muntaka Mohammed halted attempts by supporters of the NDC to attack him.

    The student then confessed he was bused to the registration centre by his teacher with 20 other final year students.

    He quickly pointed 6 other students who were already in the queue to register. They were also arrested.

    Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak had earlier vowed to fight and prevent what he terms as a plot by his opponents to bus non-residents into the constituency to register for voters ID.

    He told the media that his team is fully aware of the conspiracy, stressing that perpetrators will have themselves to blame.

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Muntaka petitions GES over busing of students to voter registration centres by teachers

    Asawase MP Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has petitioned the Ghana Education Service (GES) over alleged busing of students to voter registration centres in his constituency.

    In his letter to the Director-General of Education, the Minority Chief Whip said some 30 form two and three students of Asanteman SHS who were bused to the polling station do not hail from or reside in the community.

    Some of the students, he noted were arrested and handed over to the police after they were saved from lynching by angry residents.

    Even more worrying for the firebrand MP is the fact that the students were bused by their teacher, one Mr Bismark Fordjour.

    “It is, however, important to note that the teacher could not be reached via phone contacts after several attempts,” Mr Muntaka said.

    The MP is worried that despite government preventing parents from visiting their wards as restrictions on educational activities are being lifted, the teachers are moving the same students out of school for political interest.

    He wants the Director-General of GES, Prof  Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa to cause an investigation into the matter.

     

    Source: myjoyonline 

  • EC could not manage overcrowding although 91% of centres were spacious CODEO

    The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has pointed out the inability of EC officials to adequately ensure the “two-meter distance” between applicants at various registration centres in the country.

    In its first preliminary report on the on-going biometric voter registration exercise, the election observers said in spite of the fact that most centres were spacious enough, the officials failed to enforce such arrangements.

    “Observers reported that in some instances (28%), registration officials could not ensure that there was a two-meter distance between registration applicants in queue. Observers reported instances of overcrowding of people outside of the inner perimeters of registration centers. This is in spite of the fact that most registration centers (91%) were found by observers to be spacious enough to allow for the necessary social distancing arrangement. However, about 9% of the registration centers observed lacked the required space to enforce the relevant social distancing protocols for registration applicants.”

    According to CODEO, the lack of respect for the COVID-19 health and safety protocols, particularly the lack of social distancing at some registration centres observed, is endangering lives.

    The coalition has for that matter called upon the electoral body and the general public to exercise optimum responsibility in ensuring that human lives are not threatened unnecessarily.

    “The Coalition is worried that there is some level of laxity in the respect for the COVID-19 health and safety protocols, particularly the lack of social distancing at some registration centres observed. Accordingly, CODEO calls on the Electoral Commission to consider additional mechanisms for enhancing the effectiveness of the respect for health and safety protocols at all registration centres at all times.”

    Meanwhile, the Domestic Election Observers deployed 100 observers for the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Exercise being carried out by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) across the country.

    CODEO has an observer each in 100 randomly and purposively selected constituencies spread across the 16 regions of the country.

    During Phase One of the registration exercise (June 30-July 5) which just ended, each observer followed one EC registration team and observed the process at one registration center throughout the six days. Observers filed daily observation reports to the CODEO Secretariat in Accra.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • PLAYBACK: EC updates nation on progress of voters registration exercise

    The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana is holding a press conference to update the nation on progress of the voters registration exercise.

  • Refrain from abusing guarantorship system

    Mr Joseph Homenya, Volta Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has warned that groups or individuals who would abuse the guarantorship system ascribed in Constitutional Instrument C. I) 126, would be dealt with according to law.

    He said the party’s intelligence points to some unscrupulous entities exploiting the registration system to becoming “guarantor contractors” and dabbling in multiple guarantorship schemes for registrants beyond the legally prescribed number.

    Mr Homenya disclosed these to the Ghana News Agency on Monday in an interview on his assessment of the first phase of the new voter registration exercise in the region and matters arising.

    He said the C. I instructs that a registered voter can guarantee for 10 prospective registrants.

    He said the in-built features of the current Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) machine was capable of revealing those recalcitrant individuals who would deliberately indulge in such criminal activities, advising them to refrain from the act or be exposed and prosecuted at the appropriate time.

    “With this BVR kit, one can run but cannot hide,” he said.

    The Regional Secretary said the party would not allow non-Ghanaians to be part of the registration exercise and would clampdown on all attempts to gain undue advantage by any political party.

    On the first six days, Mr Homenya expressed satisfaction but called for improvement especially on the observance of safety and health protocols and measures.

    His counterpart from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr James Gunu said the exercise was a disaster fraught with many irregularities.

    He said turnout has been encouraging but the data capturing aspect of the exercise has been exceptionally slow.

    He said the BVR machine failed to work in some instances, delaying the start of the exercise as some prospective registrants wearing blue tops were asked to change them due to the blue background of the EC’s platform for pictures.

    He said the party expected the EC to provide more signages to direct registrants to registration centres and should abide by its decision to provide mobile backups.

    The two Regional Secretaries appealed to qualified Ghanaians with sound and 18 years and above to take advantage and register.

    Source: GNA

  • Sefwi-Akontombra records over 5000 for the first phase of voter registration

    The Electoral Commission registered a total of 5, 909 in the Sefwi- Akontombra Constituency during the first phase of the ongoing voters’ registration exercise.

    The first phase of the exercise, had 11 persons with disabilities registering.

    Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Tony Mensah Baine District Electoral officer, said a total of 71 persons were challenged during the first phase, which ended successfully at seven registration centres, and would appear before the District review committee.

    He said the second phase has begun successful in nine registration centres in the constituency.

    The centres are, Town shed, Angle education complex Bopa, Anglican primary Akontombra, Akontombra District Assembly and GK preparatory Nsawora.

    The rest are D/A primary Adwumafua, D/A primary Sikaneasem, D/A primary Asensu and D/A primary Attakrom.

    Mr Baine commended registrants and Electoral Officials for adhering to all the safety measures during the first phase of the exercise and encouraged them to continue adhering to the precautionary measures during the second phase to ensure the safety at all registration centres.

    Source: GNA

  • Over 2.2m voters registered

    Over 2.2 million (2,216,141) voters have been registered and issued voter identification cards in the first six days of the ongoing mass registration exercise. Daily Figures

    The daily figures are Day One – 308,925; Day Two – 403,274; Day Three – 437,296; Day Four 395,557; Day Five 349,602; and Day Six 321, 487. 68.9% used Ghana Card

    Data compiled by the Electoral Commission (EC) indicates that a large majority (68.9%) of the registrants used Ghana Card as identification to support their registration.

    28.8% used guarantors

    On the other hand, 28.8% of registrants used guarantors to support their registration.

    2.3% used passport

    According to the data, only 2.3% used passport as identification to support their registration.

    Greater Accra Region-427,039 (19.27%)

    The Greater Accra Region topped the list with 427,039 prospective voters registering, representing 19.27% of all persons registered in the first phase batch one.

    Ashanti Region-423, 998 (19.13%)

    In second position is Ashanti Region with 423,998 prospective voters, constituting 19.13%.

    Eastern Region-215, 616 (9.73%)

    Data compiled by the Electoral Commission indicates that Eastern Region placed third, registering 215,616 voters, representing 9.73%.

    Central Region-202, 036 (9.12%)

    In the fourth position is Central Region, which registered 202,036 voters, representing 9.12%.

    Western Region-145,741 (6.58%)

    Western Region came fifth, recording 145,741 voters registered, constituting 6.58%.

    Volta Region-139,968 (6.32%)

    Volta Region placed sixth with 139,968, amounting to 6.32%. Northern Region-121, 818 (5.5%) A total of 121,818 prospective voters, representing 5.5%, were also registered in the Northern Region to occupy the seventh position.

    Bono Region-94, 837(4.28%)

    The Bono Region recorded 94,837 prospective voters, constituting 4.28%, to place eighth on the log.

    Bono East-84, 572 (3.82%)

    In the Bono East Region, 84,572 prospective voters were registered, which amounts to 3.82% and 10th position.

    Upper East-71,526 (3.2%)

    Upper East Region came 11th with 71,526 registered prospective voters, representing 3.2%.

    Western North-64,199 (2.9%)

    A total of 64,199 prospective voters, which constitutes 2.9%, were registered in the Western North Region to place the region in the 12th position.

    West Region -60,944 (2.8%)

    It is followed by the Upper West Region in the 13th position with 60,944 prospective voters, which constitutes 2.8%.

    Ahafo Region-44,640 (2.01%)

    The Ahafo Region placed 14th on the log, with 44,640 prospective voters registered, representing 2.01%.

    Savannah Region-43,632 (1.97%)

    Savannah Region registered 43,632 prospective voters, which amounts to 1.97%, to occupy the 15th position.

    North East-37,024 (1.7%)

    Speaking to The Finder, Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Serebour Quaicoe said the EC estimated to register 1.8 million prospective voters in the first batch of the first phase of the exercise.

    He suspects that the number went to over 2.2 million because prospective voters from other polling stations who were not patient to wait for the registration to get to their turn have registered.

    This, he said, was partly responsible for the congestion at some of the registration centres.

    However, Dr Quaicoe stated that mobile teams stationed at district offices are deployed to help centres with long queues.

    On isolated cases of machine breakdown, he said technicians are on standby to repair instantly or replace the faulty one with new machines.

    Source: thefinderonline.com

  • 4,059 registered for voters ID card in Bia East after phase one

    A total of 4,059 Ghanaians in Bia East Constituency, Western North Region registered for the new voters ID Card at the end of Phase One of the exercise organised by the Electoral Commission.

    A total number of 2,111 were males and 1,948 represented females of people who participated in the registration.

    Speaking to GhanaWeb, the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) expressed their satisfaction with the general turnout.

    The Constituency Communications Director of NPP, Evans Amoah told GhanaWeb the process has been successful as they didn’t record busing of people from Ivory Coast to the constituency though they share a boundary.

    In a separate interview with the NDC Constituency Secretary, Osei Simon, he affirmed the process progressed steadily but was quick to attribute low turn out to low level of public education on the part of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) as they (NDC) projected to record over 5,000 eligible voters instead of 4059.

    He, therefore, tasked the NCCE to increase the public awareness campaign going forward.

    Some registrants expressed satisfaction with the process after successful registration exercise in phase one.

    The 38-day exercise commenced on Tuesday, June 30 in some 6,788 clusters made up of five registration centres each across the country.

    It is being conducted in 5 phases, each phase spanning 6 days with additional days for mop-up. The nationwide exercise is expected to end on August 6, 2020.

    The Western North Region has nine (9) Constituencies and the exercise is going on without any hitches. Bia East Constituency has 74 registration exercise and EC has finished with eight (8) registration centers.

    The eight registration centers are Donkorkrom, Ahenboboano A and B, Mosi Hene, Sefwi Adabokrom PBC A and B, Church of Christ A and B at Sefwi Adabokrom.

    Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Ghana has projected to register 16 million qualified Ghanaians for the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary General Elections slated for December 7, 2020.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Refrain from needless nationality challenges – EC warns party agents at registration centres

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has warned political party agents across the country to stop baselessly challenging the nationality of persons who turn up at the various registration centres to partake in the ongoing registration exercise.

    Close to 2 million Ghanaians have registered their names since the EC commenced the registration exercise, deputy EC Chairperson Dr. Bossman Asare disclosed in an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme on Monday, July 6, 2020.

    In order to ensure non-citizens of Ghana don’t get their names into the new voters’ register, the Commission has provided room for political party agents and any Ghanaian to pick up a challenge form to dispute the nationality of persons they are suspicious about.

    But the EC is however admonishing the party agents not to abuse their right.

    EC Chairperson in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey also speaking on ‘Kokrokoo’, asked for sanctions to be meted out to political party agents who engage in needless challenges.

    “We plead with the political parties to minimize those needless challenges. From experience, the stronghold of some political parties deliberately frustrate the system by just challenging them. Going forward, if this system still persists, we should have a penalty or some sanctions for the persons whose challenge is needless and baseless just to deter them,” he said.

     

    Source: GNA

  • EC limits registration to 75 applicants at a time

    The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has introduced a new system to control swelling numbers at registration centres.

    The queue management system is to deal with overcrowding at some registration centres to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 as the new voter registration takes place.

    Registration began on Tuesday, June 30, and is currently in the second phase.

    The first days were fraught with crowds trooping to the centres in violation of COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the EC at the venues.

    “Under the Queue Management System, the first 150 applicants who arrive at the registration centres will be provided with numbered chits. The first half of this number will be served from morning to early afternoon.

    “The second half will be asked to leave the centres and return in the afternoon when the registration process for the first batch has been completed. They will then be served,” the Acting Public Affairs Director at the EC, Mrs Sylvia Annoh, said in a statement on Monday, July 6.

    The election management body believes the new system will reduce the long queues and help with the enforcement of social distancing protocols at the centres.

    The EC said it will continue to review and improve its processes so as “to ensure that citizens register in a safe and secure environment.”

    As part of measures to curb coronavirus, applicants are supposed to wear face masks, wash their hands before entering the premises of registration centres and observe social distancing.

    The temperature of every applicant is expected to be taken, and health officials from the Ghana Health Service notified of persons with high readings.

    Additionally, the EC says it has made provisions for hand sanitisers, and regular disinfection of registration kits are to be observed by officials.

     

    Source: theghanareport 

  • Voters register: EC institutes queue management system to ensure social distancing

    The Electoral Commission has initiated a queue management system at its registration centres to prevent overcrowding and the breach of anti -COVID-19 social distancing rules by anxious applicants seeking to acquire their Voters Identification card.

    A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency explained that under the queue management system, the first 150 applicants who arrived at the Registration Centres would be provided with numbered chits.

    The first half of this number, it said, would be served from morning to early afternoon; while the second half would be asked to leave the centres and return in the afternoon when the registration of the first batch would have been completed.

    The statement said it would continue to review and improve upon the processes to ensure citizens registered in a safe and secure environment.

    “The Commission believes that this system will go a long way towards reducing overcrowding and long queues and help with the enforcement of social distancing protocols at the Centres,” it said.

    The statement reiterated that the Commission would ensure that citizens who qualified were afforded the opportunity to register and cast their votes.

    “We encourage constructive feedback from the general public, which is aimed at improving the Registration Exercise, which is already motion,” it said.

    The EC is seeking to register about 16 million Ghanaians from June 30 to August 06, under a cluster system at 33,367 polling stations nationwide.

    Though the process has been progressing smoothly, the lack of effective management of applicants outside the registration perimeter has been a challenge, leading to overcrowding at some of the centres.

    Source: GNA

  • EC introduces queue management system at voter registration centres

    The Electoral Commission has introduced what it calls the queue management system at all its registration centres in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area to tackle issues with overcrowding.

    The queue management system will ensure that the first 150 applicants who arrive at the registration centres will be provided with “numbered chits”, according to the EC.

    The first half of this number will be served from morning to early afternoon, while the second half will be asked to leave the centres and return in the afternoon when the registration process for the first batch has been completed.

    The EC hopes that this new system will “address the long queues and help with the enforcement of social distancing protocols at the centres.”

    “The Commission is keen to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus at all its centres. As a result, we will continue to review and improve our processes so as to ensure that citizens register in a safe and secure environment,” a statement from the EC added.

    The introduction of this new system follows reports of overcrowding and disregard for COVID-19 safety protocols at some registration centres.

    The EC, following these concerns, indicated that the ongoing exercise will see a greater level of compliance to COVID-19 preventive measures.

    The registration which is being conducted across six thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight clusters simultaneously will be completed on August 6, 2020.

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Halt voter registration now Doctors to Jean Mensa

    Over 200 health workers including 99 medical doctors have petitioned the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) to halt the ongoing mass voter registration exercise in order to prevent Ghana from suffering potentially thousands of deaths from coronavirus.

    The petition to Jean Adukwei Mensa is the second by these health workers.

    In the first dated Wednesday, June 24, the health workers cautioned the EC on its intention to conduct the exercise as they claimed it would lead to increased cases of Covid-19 and related deaths.

    “The response from officialdom was that all public health protocols and precautions against Covid-19 will be adhered to.

    “Unfortunately, ongoing events across the country have confirmed our worst fears,” they said.

    Source: 3 News

  • Support EC to enforce social distancing protocol — Ablakwa

    The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu in the Volta Region, Mr Samuel Okudzeto- Ablakwa, has appealed to stakeholders and corporate organisations to support the Electoral Commission (EC) with chairs to enforce social distancing protocol at the various registration centres.

    He said the provision of basic items such as single-seat chairs by MPs, churches, traditional leaders, assembly members, businesses and non-profit organisations (NGOs) would allow for spacious seating arrangements in line with the one-metre social distancing protocol and also ensure an orderly registration process.

    It was his belief that that would go a long way to prevent the registration exercise from becoming “a jungle system that will be a recipe for disaster in infection rates”.

    “Let us see the provision of single-seat chairs such as plastic chairs for the registration exercise as our collective responsibility to combat the spread of the coronavirus; it does not necessarily have to be the EC alone because COVID-19 is real and deadly,” he stated.

    No benches

    Speaking to the Daily Graphic after visiting some of the 13 registration centres in his constituency last Tuesday, Mr Okudzeko-Ablakwa said the use of benches made it very difficult to maintain social distancing.

    He, however, said the use of plastic chairs would make it easier to enforce social distancing.

    During the visit, there was some orderliness at most of the polling stations and that was made possible through the use of mostly plastic, metallic and wooden single-seat chairs.

    Recipe for disaster

    Mr Okudzeko-Ablakwa said the EC had probably not made arrangements to rent plastic chairs or “look for communities that have them” to carry out the 38-day registration exercise.

    “This is an area that we should pay attention to because when you do not have single-seat chairs arrangement per the one-metre rule, it becomes a milling crowd as people struggle to be served first and that is a recipe for disaster,” he stated.

    Lessons

    The MP expressed gladness at the smooth manner in which the registration process was carried out without any violence on the first day in his constituency.

    He was optimistic that the plastic chairs he personally donated to the various communities in the North Tongu Constituency largely contributed to the enforcement of social distancing at the polling centres.

    “This is a good lesson the EC, MPs, churches, NGOs, assembly members and other stakeholders should consider.

    “Do we want a situation where we do not get involved and contribute our quota and we leave the burden for one institution, the EC or one political party, and then there is an outbreak of the pandemic and our constituencies become epicentres and we live with the consequences of having a mass infestation?” he asked.

    #GhanaVotes2020

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Voters register: Akrofuom NPP parliamentary candidate appeals to indigenes to register

    The newly elected NPP parliamentary candidate for Akrofuom Constituency, Mr. Alex Blankson has appealed to the people of Akrofuom to register in their numbers in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

    Mr. Blankson has pointed out that the figures gotten from the Mensonso Electoral area at the end of their voter registration so far are not encouraging.

    The Electoral area which had six registration centres were able to register two thousand and ninety-three (2,093) people at the end of six days of registration against a total projection of three thousand five hundred and six (3,506).

    The Parliamentary Candidate said the District Assembly should intensify the voter registration education in the district especially in the Nkoranza Electoral area where the registration is starting from Monday, 6th July to Saturday, 11th July so as to sensitize the general public on the need to participate in the registration.

    Commenting on the need for massive registration, Mr. Blankson said “Politics is all about numbers. It is numbers that gave us constituency in 2004, and it is the same numbers that made the President bless us with a district status. You cannot do away with numbers in lobbying for the developmental projects from the Central Government and other agencies like GNPC”.

    “It is therefore incumbent on all political leaders in Akrofuom District and Nananom to do everything within our preview to see a massive voter registration for this registration period,” he stressed.

    All these happened when a section of Akrofuom indigenes living in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis called on him at his residence in Takoradi to congratulate him on his massive win for the just-ended NPP Parliamentary primaries. The Akrofuom primaries which saw seven people vying for the candidature position, the highest in the country, ended peacefully electing Alex Blankson, grandson of the Late Nana Okai Ababio, with a massive win beating his close contender, Mr. Maxwell Sarfoh-Abu, the former Chairman for the Constituency.

    Mr. Blankson seized the opportunity to call on all indigenes of Akrofuom District living outside Akrofuom, especially Obuasi, to, as a matter of patriotism, come home and register. “This, he reiterated, “has indirect consequences on the fortunes of our land in terms of development”.

    He added that arrangements would be put in place to assist outside dwellers to come home and vote in December.

    The group, on their part, promised the Parliamentary Candidate of their support should he win the general elections come December.

    “We do not doubt your ability. We have stayed with you here in Takoradi from infancy, and we know so very well what you can do for the people of our land,” they added.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Voter Registration Exercise: Retired Military man, 14 others intercepted as Togolese in Volta

    A 70 year old retired Ghana Arm Forces Officer, Christian Agbeviade together with some 14 aged residents from Ziope and Honuga, a farming communities in the Agortime-Ziope District of the Volta region has been intercepted on their way to register for the voter identification card by Volta Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) led by the region’s Chairman, Kafui Woanya.

    The persons were detained upon reaching Kpetoe township, the district capital and were sent to the Agortime-Ziope District Police Command where they spent more ten hours under police custody before their release after a massive protest by residents and interventions by Executives of the Volta National Democratic Congress (NDC).

    According to the retired Military man who is visually impaired, a relative to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Charles Agbeve, on Sunday, 5 July 2020, he was on board with other siblings who are of age to Kpetoe, where the Electoral Commission office is located to get registered for the ongoing voter registration exercise before their interception.

    He explained that, he could not see the persons who arrested them but heard that they have been charged for not being Ghanaians, and that they were been conveyed from Togo into the country to register for the voter card. He said, he showed his passport to prove his citizenship, as well as the other persons on board but the Police could not listen to his plea.

    “They claimed I’m a Togolese, and I said I can’t be a Togolese, with a Ghanaian passport how can I be a Togolese. How can I be a Togolese at the same time a Ghanaian? I’ve worked with the Ghana Arm Forces, can they employ an alien in the Ghana Arm Forces? These are some of my explanations to them so I don’t know why they still don’t want to believe what I’m saying, I have a living document to prove to that effect” He told Class News after being released from the Police custody as at 8:34pm, evening of Sunday.

    The Volta NDC Secretary, James Gunu, speaking to the Media after the incident which nearly resulted into a scuffle between the police and the angry residents said the persons were only doing according to the directives by the EC and it’s a shock to have seen the NPP changing the narratives.

    “The fact of the matter is that, the Electoral Commission made us to understand that, at the District registration offices, lactating mothers, persons with disability, the aged and the vulnerable in a society they are supposed to be registered at the district offices…. so these people boarded a car from Ziope, NPP people saw them and said they are not Ghanaians. NPP should not give frivolous definition to who a Ghanaian is, that also not withstanding if they have any course to believe that somebody is not a Ghanaian, the law is that you go and fill a challenge form, you don’t prevent the people physically as they’re doing and when we came here we have realized clearly that, the rule of law has been thrown to the dogs, now what we have is the rule of politics” He said.

    The MP for the area, Charles Agbeve, disclosed that, he bused the people whom are his relatives from the village to the district office to get registered before the they were intercepted. He described the development as a bias shown by the NPP and the Police, adding that the situation will not intimidate them rather will encourage the constituents to come out in their numbers to register.

    “This one, my own village, my own hometown, my uncle Christian Agbeviade who has worked with the Ministry of defence, and his brothers and sisters, cousins and I said oh let me help you and they carried them, coming to come and register. Today I don’t know whether in Ghana any group of people find in an ovan bus approaching a town are Togolese, to begrudged with cars and intimidated, harassed and brought to the Police station and kept all this time. I don’t think it is fair, I don’t think it is reasonable, in my opinion it is very a rational. And this decision they (NPP) have taken will not intimidate us, we are not perturbed, we have energised, gingered and the people will come out in their numbers and register ” He noted.

    MP for Ho West, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah at the Police station told the Media that, the Volta region belongs to the NDC hence any attempt by the NPP to bring uneasiness in the region won’t be tolerated. He advised constituents to come out in their numbers to get registered.

    Meanwhile, the occupants of the bus, 6 males and 8 females were been granted bail including the 56 year old driver, Gatsi Xorlali, who alleged that, he was physically assaulted during the course of intercepting his car. He noted that, he is a driver on the Ho, Akatsi road and he took the alleged foreigners at Ziope enroute to Kpetoe as at 11am on Sunday before the disturbances.

    The Police said, an investigation will commence on Monday, 6 July 2020, by visiting individual homes of all the 15 persons.

    Source: Albert Kuzor, Ghanaweb Contributor

  • The Constitution guarantees citizens right to register – Minister

    The Oti Regional Minister, Nana Owusu-Yeboa, has urged the people in the region to go out to the centres to register and vote in the December poll. He said the Constitution guarantees the civic right of every citizen to register and to participate in elections.

    However, only the citizens who met the legitimate qualification measures would be accepted and asked the people to be vigilant against intruders. Nana Owusu-Yeboa said this when he visited some registration centres in the first phase of the voter registration exercise to ascertain the successes and challenges of the compilation process.

    The Minister was on the tour with Mr Patrick Jilima Chartey, Municipal Chief Executive for Krachi East and Madam Comfort Attaa Akua, District Chief Executive of Biakoye.

    In all, the Regional Minister toured a total of eleven registration centres in the Krachi East constituency.

    At the Dambai Roman Catholic and ARS 1 and 2 centres, about 4,168 people had registered and issued with the voter ID cards since the inception of the exercise, while in the Biakoye District 2,608 were registered and given new voter ID cards from two centres.

    Nana Owusu- Yeboa was glad about the progress of the registration exercise and urged the people in the region to cooperate with the Electoral Commission (EC) and to also follow the safety protocols to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

    At the centres visited, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) saw Veronica buckets with water for handwashing, thermometer guns to check the temperature of registrants, and hand sanitizers.

    The people at the centres were all in face masks in strict adherence to the social distancing protocols.

    The Electoral Commission (EC) officials told the Regional Minister that the majority of the registrants came with their Ghana card or Passport and some without these documents had two people already issued with the new Voter cards to guarantee for them. GNA

    Source: GNA

  • Voter registration: EC introduces chits for queue management

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has introduced an innovative queue management system to reduce the overwhelming number of registrants who throng registration centres to register for voter identification cards.

    In the new system, officials of the commission issue a limited number of chits to registrants who are required to turn up at registration centres each day to be registered.

    The Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr Serebour Quarcoo, who made this known to the Daily Graphic yesterday, said the initiative would cut down the numbers at registration centres and help to improve on the social distancing protocols.

    “The registration officials will generate numbers for the registrants each day based on their capacity. They have done registration for the past two days so they know the number of people they are capable of registering every day,” he said.

    He added that in the new arrangement, persons without the chit would not be allowed into the registration centre.

    Further action

    Dr Serebour added that apart from the chit system, the Commission had also strengthened the “nose mask, no registration” protocol.

    He said the commission had spoken to the Ghana Police Service to tighten the knot on enforcement of the social distancing protocols.

    Statement

    The EC had earlier issued a statement indicating that it was working with the security agencies to enforce social distancing and other safety protocols.

    The statement, which was signed by the Director of Public Affairs at the commission, Mrs Sylvia Annoh, said everything was being done to guarantee the safety of registrants.

    “We continue to engage with the police and other security agencies to find workable solutions to maintain law and order and the social distancing protocols at the various centres nationwide. We trust that the security agencies will continue to assist to ensure adherence to the laid down safety protocols,” it said.

    Enthusiasm

    It said the commission was pleased with the enthusiasm that characterised the registration exercise on the first two days of the exercise.

    The statement said the massive turnout for the registration was indicative of the growing interest citizens had in the electoral process.

    “The commission is of the view that the large number of citizens at the registration centre is an indication of a vibrant democracy,” it added.

    Enforcement

    It, however, said the disregard for social distancing and safety protocols by registrants was worrying and needed concerted efforts from all stakeholders to deal with.

    “We wish to state that the commission has procured and distributed adequate supplies to its registration centres to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” it said.

    It said the commission had supplied paint to all its registration centres and instructed its officials to mark the floor by providing a one-metre distance between each applicant.

    “We count on the general public to assist the commission to work to maintain law and order at all the registration centres,” the statement added. – #GhanaVotes2020#

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

  • EC & Supreme Court placed Ghanaians in severe danger Ex-Council of State Member

    A Statesman, Nana Kodua Kesse II, has described as reckless the compilation of the new Voters register by the Electoral Commission (EC) amid raging Coronavirus pandemic.

    According to him, Ghanaians are defying the odds of COVID-19 to express their disdain to abuse of power.

    His comments, come as the COVID-19 cases continue to shoot up with many state officials, including cabinet ministers, like Dan Botwe, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and Kweku Agyemang in hospital undergoing treatment for the virus.

    The traditional ruler’s concerns, come as the country mourns the loss of ex-General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie alias “Sir John”.

    Also admitted at the hospital for COVID-19, is a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West Constituency and Peter Mac Manu, the board chairman of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authourity (GHAPOHA) and the campaign manager for Akufo-Addo’s re-election bid.

    The former Council of State Member, was also unhappy with the Supreme Court, saying it ignored all these dangers and even upheld the exclusion of old Voters ID card as a requirement of proof of citizens identity.

    Nana Kodua Kesse II, who is the Oyokohene and Adontenhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, blamed the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah for putting Ghanaians in a situation where they had to defend their citizenship by defying the odds, but with caution to register in their numbers to express their disdain to abuse of power.

    He believes, the EC should have placed the health of Ghanaians above parochial political interest by listening to advise of various groups, including Chiefs to abandon the belated compilation exercise.

    He could not believe that the peoples’ health, were being sacrificed for power, describing it as reckless.

    Nana Kodua Kesse II, said though the Electoral Commission has put in place basic preventive measures at registration centers, it is being flouted in many areas, adding that the registration exercise which has triggered a lot of movements and contacts in the country, could increase the spread of the Coronavirus disease.

    “The good people of Ghana spoke calling on the EC to suspend the compilation of the New Voters’ Register since its implementation would increase the spread of Coronavirus but the EC didn’t listen. I think it is a rash decision where we are sacrificing lives of Ghanaians for Political power. We are endangering the health of Millions of Ghanaians. The nose mask we know protects little”.

    COVID-19 deaths in Ghana now stand at 117 with 4,941 active cases and 14,330 recoveries, the Ghana Health Service has announced on Wednesday night. The development means five more persons have died from the last count. Total confirmed cases are 19,388.

    The Statesman, believes the Supreme Court having ignored all these dangers and even upheld the exclusion of old Voters ID card as a requirement of proof of citizens identity, the only opportunity for Ghanaians to defend their citizenship is to defy the odds, but with caution to register in their numbers to express their disdain to abuse of power.

     

    Source: The Herald

  • EC Voter ID Registration: See all the centres for phase 1, batch 2

    The Electoral Commission has published the movement plan for the second batch of phase one of the ongoing voter registration exercise.

    The nationwide registration for the second batch of the exercise will take place between July 6 – July 11, 2020.

    The first phase of batch one the exercise which started on June 30, 2020, will end on July 5, 2020.

    >>>CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ THE SCHEDULE<<<

     

    See the schedule below;

    See the movement plan for batch two of the voter ID registration

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

     

  • The gods will strike you dead if you’re a non-resident and you register here – Upper West Akyem NDC

    The Upper West Akyem branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Eastern region has warned non-residents in the area not to register for the voter card.

    The party says it has invoked curses from the gods in the area to deal ruthlessly with anyone who will register there but is not a resident.

    Chairman of the party in the area, Mr. Ken Dadzie told Nyankonton Mu Nsem that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is busing non-residents to the area to register them.

    The NDC he said will not entertain this and will go all out to challenge anyone they suspect is not a resident.

    According to them, some persons they confronted could not even identify the households they came from.

    He warned if those who are allegedly being bused dop not desist from registering in the area, they will invoke curses on them and pray to the gods to deal with them ruthlessly.

    “We are advising those who are not residents here not to register. We are invoking the curses on anyone who will make the attempt and ask the gods and rivers in this area to strike dead anyone who will register here but not a resident. We have informed the police but nothing has been done. If they do not stop, then the only we can say is that may the gods strike them dead. If you are a resident here and you register, we do not have a problem, but if you not then we leave you to the gods,” he added.

    Responding to the allegations, the NPP chair for the area, Mr. Nana Addai Obuobi denied busing people to the area.

     

    He said the party has done no such thing and has asked the public to disregard the allegations.

    He appealed to residents who are far and near to take part in the registration exercise so they can vote in 2020.

    “If you are abroad and a resident of Upper West Akyem and you can join those are being evacuated by the government please come back home and register so you can vote. I have not bused people here. All those who have registered here are residents,” he stated.

     

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • It’s not EC’s job to share nose masks at registration centres – Atik Mohammed

    Atik Mohammed has called on political figures and Ghanaians to stop worrying the Electoral Commission (EC) to give them nose masks at the registration centres.

    The EC’s registration exercise began on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, and is aimed at compiling a new voters’ register for the upcoming general elections and all other national elections.

    The ongoing exercise is taking place in over 33,000 polling stations across the country.

    Some participants have expressed their displeasure with the EC’s inability to provide them with nose masks despite assuring Ghanaians that they will take all COVID-19 health protocols into account.

    Addressing the issue on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, Atik Mohammed stated emphatically that sharing nose or face masks to attendees to the registration centres shouldn’t be the responsibility of the Electoral Commission.

    “It’s not their job,” he stated and wondered how people even go to the registration centres unmasked when President Nana Akufo-Addo has ordered a mandatory wearing of masks by every citizen.

    ” . . the E.I states that you can’t leave your home without wearing the face or nose mask. So, by law, it is even criminal or it’s an offence to step out of your home without wearing the mask. So, how do you get to the registration centre in the first place?”

     

    Source: Peace FM

  • 3 NDC officials allegedly arrested over possession of voters registration materials

    Three Asawase executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region have been arrested for the possession of registration materials.

    The three were allegedly attempting to register applicants on the sidelines of the ongoing registration exercise at the Mamponghene registration center at Akwatialine, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

    The three are now in police custody pending police investigation and possible prosecution.

    Meanwhile, the party has disassociated itself from the conduct of three suspects.

    Source: rainbownradioonline.com

  • Bernard Mornah enjoyed registering his name; why didn’t he disrupt the exercise? – Atik Mohammed

    General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Atik Mohammed has ridiculed the party’s National Chairman and a leading member of IPRAN, Bernard Mornah for participating in the ongoing new voters’ registration exercise.

    It could be recalled that Bernard Mornah, prior to the registration exercise, vehemently opposed the Electoral Commission (EC) decision to compile a new voters’ register.

    He threatened to cause mayhem should the Commission go ahead with the exercise stating emphatically that “people who are already Ghanaians and already registered are going to be taken out of the register, don’t you think confusion will come at the registration and if confusion comes there, you think the EC staff will be safe, we will beat each other there, we will kill each other there if that is what the EC wants to lead this nation to”.

    However, Bernard Mornah was spotted registering his name during the exercise.

    Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on ‘Kokrokoo’ on Peace FM, Atik Mohammed asked ”why didn’t he disrupt it like he promised he would?”

    He fired salvoes at Bernard Mornah saying ”you know when the Electoral Commission says we should register, you’ll register your name and also nothing will happen. Why would you create such a tense atmosphere? You contaminate the political atmosphere with all your vicious utterances, such vile utterances. The antidote for that poison would be maybe some counter-reaction that, at the end of the day, will not end well. So, why do you even start such a thing in the first place when you know you will register your name?”

    ”He was busy enjoying the registration process. If you look at his picture, you’ll see everything was smooth where he registered. It was smooth. It was seamless as a matter of fact,” Atik teased the PNC Chairman.

    Source: Peace FM

     

  • Alleged NPP thugs invade polling station, beat applicants for resisting registration of ‘strangers’

    There was confusion at Aketebor registration center in the Upper Manya Krobo Constituency of the Eastern Region on Thursday after NPP thugs invaded the Polling station to beat applicants for resisting registration of strangers transported to register at the centre.

    The thugs transported in a KIA Truck were accompanying some Constituency Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP ) moving from one registration centres to the other.

    They beat three applicants and threatened the electoral officers at the Aketebor Polling station as the only armless young Police officer looks on helpless.

    The confused scuffle brought the exercise to a halt for some minutes.

    The registration officials were not happy over the conduct of the Constituency executives and the thugs allegedly led by the Constituency Chairman Moses Tetteh popularly known as Arizona.

    One of the victims, Shadrack Omonyo told Kasapa News he was slapped three times by the thugs after he questioned why the NPP has brought people they claim come from Asesewa to register in the village.

    The Parliamentary Candidate for the National Democratic Congress in the Upper Manya Krobo Constituency Bismark Tetteh told Kasapa News the exercise has been generally smooth but for the thugs deployed by the NPP intimating residents in rural areas.

    The National Youth Organizer of the NDC George Opare Addo accompanied by the Eastern Regional Youth Organizer Okai Mints who coincidentally arrived at the polling station as part of their monitoring duties in the region condemned the action of the NPP thug and called on the Police to stop them else the NDC will defend themselves.

    Source: Kasapa FM

  • Don’t wait to see security before you observe safety protocols – Sagnarigu MCE advised

    The Municipal Chief Executive of the Sagnarigu Municipality, Hon. Hajia Mariam Idrisu, has urged the general public to be adherence to the safety protocols at the registration centres.

    Speaking to the press yesterday, after a tour around the registration centres in the Sagnarigu constituency, Hajia Mariam advised that people should not wait to see security personnel before they turn to observe the safety protocols.

    “You should be responsible for your own health,” She said.

    She recounted her experience in one of the registration centres she visited, where a police officer in charge of a registration centre takes a leave of the centre to get something, only for the people to flout the safety protocols just to get the registration easily.

    She noted that most people in the Sagnarigu Municipality seem to be reluctant and hesitant in adhering to the safety measures, especially at the registration centres.

    “You should not come out to register for an ID card in order to vote for somebody and by so doing you contract Coronavirus to infect your whole family,” she advised.

    Hajia Mariam further urges that people should be self-conscious about their own health and ensure that they do the right thing to stay safe and alive.

    “Let us not wait to see the MCE or the police before we observe the protocols. Let us do the right thing in other to stay safe and live long and vote for Nana Addo to do more for us.”

    She also encouraged the general public to take advantage of the proximity of the registration centres at their places of abode to register and as well exercise their franchise come December 2020 general election.

    “Without your registration card, you can not exercise your franchise, you can not give Nana Addo four more years to do more,” She said.

    Source: Alidu Abdur Rashid, Ghanaweb Contributor

  • Gunfight in Asante Akyem North NPP

    At least one person has suffered gunshot wounds after a fierce gun battle ensued between two factions in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Asante Akyem North Constituency yesterday.

    Supporters of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Andy Appiah Kubi, and former MP for the constituency, Kwadwo Baah Agyeman, allegedly clashed in a bloody fashion in broad daylight.

    The two feuding factions were said to be heavily armed so they engaged in a dangerous gun battle.

    What sparked the gun battle between supporters of the two top politicians in the hitherto peaceful constituency on Tuesday could not be readily known by DAILY GUIDE, but a source is saying that it might have something to do with the constituency primary contested by the two top party members.

    Long-Standing Animosity

    According to sources in the area, animosity has existed between Andy Appiah Kubi and Kwadwo Baah Agyeman for some years now, and it has spread to their supporters.

    They said the bad blood between the two had deepened after Andy Appiah Kubi won recent NPP parliamentary polls in the area, which Kwadwo Baah Agyeman had said was not recognized by the party because of an injunction placed on the process.

    Shooting Incident

    Eyewitnesses disclosed that the supporters of the two politicians from nowhere were seen marching through the streets and firing gunshots at opposite directions.

    The sporadic gunshots were said to have forced fear-stricken residents to run helter-skelter for cover.

    According to sources in the constituency, both sides suffered injuries during the fierce clash. Besides, they alleged that an innocent person was sadly hit by a stray bullet.

    It took the timely intervention of the police to calm down the two blood-thirsty factions.

    Reports making rounds indicated that the police managed to apprehend and detain some people in connection with the shooting incident.

    The traditional leaders in the area were also said to be angry over the shooting incident, so they were planning to meet the two factions yesterday for amicable solution.

     

    Source: Daily Guide Network