A member of the Communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Malik Basintale, is of the view that more people who register onto the electoral roll will vote against the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming general elections.
He says the more people register in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise, the more the flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia loses the elections.
He attributed this to the economic hardships that Ghanaians are saddled with under the present administration.
“If ten children of an unpaid contractor register, how many do you think [NPP] will get? Pensioner bondholders who have not been paid, if ten of their grandchildren register how many of them,” he said on the New Day show on TV3 Wednesday, May 8 while commenting on the ongoing limited voter registration.
The more people register for the limited voter registration exercise, the more Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia loses in the 2024 elections – @malik_basintale#TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/uOKMtYFsEY
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) May 8, 2024
Meanwhile, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the running mate to the flagbearer of the NDC, Former President John Dramani Mahama, has pleaded with the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the time for the limited voter registration due to the challenges that occurred on Day One.
She stated that it is only appropriate that the EC prolongs the time to allow for all persons who could not register due to technical issues to do so.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang however observed that the second day of the limited voter registration exercise witnessed much improvement with the challenges that occurred on Day One on Tuesday, May 7.
Speaking to journalists after touring some registration centers in the Ayawaso West Wuogon and Madina Constituencies in Accra on Wednesday, May 8, she said “Yesterday was chaotic as we all know, the machines weren’t working and many places hadn’t started on time as was advertised and therefore today is much better. My hope is that it continues as it should.
“In terms of yesterday, I know they are machines and so on but one would not have expected that on such a large scale there would be consistent problems so definitely if there were places, as I hear, where not even a single person was registered or where very few people were registered because of challenges with the machines then definitely the EC must make up for that time.
“If it is an extra day it should be restored, if it is a couple of hours it should be extended to the following day.”
The Electoral Commission (EC) commenced this year’s limited voter registration exercise on Tuesday, May 7, ahead of the December 7 general elections.
The 21-day exercise will end on Monday, May 27, 2024. It aims at individuals who have turned 18 years old since the last registration to be enrolled in the national album.
Also, according to the EC, the exercise will be conducted at its district offices and in difficult-to-access electoral areas.
“Permanent centres will be set up at the District offices while mobile teams would be used to register eligible applicants in the difficult to access Electoral Areas. The list of registration centres will be provided to the Political Parties no later than twenty-one (21) days to the Registration exercise,” the EC noted.
Source: 3news.com
