NPP calls on the EC to extend biometric voter’s exhibition exercise

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday expressed misgivings about the just ended biometric voter's exhibition exercise and called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the exercise. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Sunyani, Mr Alfred Ofori Annye, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretary of the NPP, said majority of the electorate did not participate in the exercise because of poor publicity.  He explained that it was a constitutional mandate for the EC and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to sensitize the public on the electoral processes and laws but not the duty of political partie Mr Annye said voting was a civic right and it was the responsibility of the government to adequately resource EC and NCCE to embark on public education to create awareness on national policies and programmes. He alleged that the exhibition exercise was characterized by problems including misplaced photographs which needed to be rectified to obtain a credible register to facilitate free, fair and transparent elections. Mr Annye said at the St. Mary's exhibition center in the Sunyani Municipality, more than 1,400 people did not participate in the exercise because their voter's register were not available. He said at the Zongo Abetifi exhibition center in the municipality, there were a number of people who were challenged during the biometric registration exercise but their names and other particulars were on the register. Mr Annye said another issue of great concern was that names on the voter's register outnumbered that of what the party recorded during the biometric registration exercise at some of the centers whilst at Stadium Primary School center names of some people appeared twice. He said he was not in any way downplaying the integrity of the EC but there was the need to remind the Commission of problems of national concern.

GNA