The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to listen to the wise counsel of Goasomanhene Nana Akwasi Bosompra I and extend the limited registration exercise beyond its district offices.
Dr. Apaak wants the EC to abandon its reckless decision to centralise the limited registration exercise at the district offices, which could lead to the subversion of the will of the people.
The traditional ruler indicated that the decision by the EC to limit the registration exercise to its district offices would prevent several people from registering.
This comes after the EC announced a limited voter registration period for eligible Ghanaians who turned 18 after the 2020 registration period, as well as other eligible voters, from September 12, 2023, to October 2, 2023.
According to the EC’s Chairperson, Jean Mensa, the exercise will take place at all of the EC’s 268 district offices across the country.
In response, the traditional ruler requested that the EC reverse its decision and expand the registration centres.
According to him, such a move would deprive a number of Ghanaians of the right to vote.
Instead, he wants the commission to start the process of holding the exercise in the electoral areas.
According to him, this could lead to some people with resources but not the qualifications to be elected abusing the process by busing people to registration centres and then demanding their votes.
In response to the comments, Dr. Apaak urged the EC Chairperson to heed the chief’s wise counsel and expand the registration centres.
He stated that the EC chair should understand that her job is to ensure that every Ghanaian eligible to vote has the opportunity to register and vote.
He claims that the EC chair is violating this constitutional duty and that the chief is correct in urging the EC to expand the registration centres.
“Jean Mensa must understand that her job is to ensure that every Ghanaian citizen who has attained voting age is given everything opportunity to register and to vote. Unfortunately, she seems to relish doing the opposite. The Chief is right, listen to reason Madam.”
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
