The Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, is calling on Ghanaians to participate in the “Enough Is Enough” demonstration scheduled for September 17, 2024.
The protest aims to demand a forensic audit of the country’s voters’ register amid concerns over significant discrepancies and irregularities that could undermine the credibility of the upcoming elections.
In a “Call to Action” statement posted on his Facebook page dated September 12, 2024 Dr. Boamah highlighted several alarming issues identified in the current voters’ register:
Illegally Transferred Voters: A total of 243,540 voter transfers from previous years have been illegally added to the 2024 transfers, with instances of repeated names.
Unidentifiable Voter Transfers: Over 15,000 voter transfers lack identifiable paths, raising suspicions of fake registrations, with original registration locations remaining unknown.
Deleted Voters: About 3,957 voters from the 2023 register have been removed from the 2024 provisional register without explanation due to unaccounted transfers.
Voters Not Listed as Absent: Approximately 2,094 voters have been transferred to different polling stations but are not included in the Absent Voter List as legally required.
Corrupted Files: Instances of corrupted files have been reported, with some files missing names and photos of registered voters, posing potential challenges on election day.
Dr. Boamah emphasized the need for a forensic audit to address these concerns and answer critical questions about the integrity of the electoral process, including:
Extent of Manipulation: To determine how widespread the illegal voter transfers are and how many voters may have been affected.
System Vulnerabilities: To identify weaknesses in the Electoral Commission’s systems that allowed unauthorized transfers.
Timeliness of Register Provision: To understand why there were delays in providing the provisional voters register to stakeholders such as the NDC.
Impact on Elections: To assess how these issues could impact the fairness and integrity of the upcoming elections.
Historical Comparisons: To evaluate how current errors compare to those made by past electoral commissions and what lessons can be learned.
Timeline for Corrections: To establish a timeline for addressing these issues and ensuring a credible voter register before the elections.
Dr. Boamah and the protest organizers argue that a forensic audit is crucial for safeguarding the credibility of Ghana’s electoral process.
“An independent forensic audit will ensure that the upcoming elections reflect the true will of the suffering people of Ghana,” they assert.
Source: classfmonline.com
