By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Ahead of the general elections in Ghana December, thousands of main opposition party – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters have staged demonstrations, calling for the immediate audit of voter register, citing errors.
The NDC leaders are urging immediate steps to correct the errors contained in the register to enhance the credibility of the election.
The party alleges discrepancies, including illegal transfer of names, missing voters and the inclusion of over 50,000 dead people in the register.
An independent audit of the electoral roll is the only way to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process, NDC director of elections Dr. Omane Boamah insists.
The West African nation has held series of peaceful but keenly contested elections in the past three decades, with the December presidential poll expected to be a two-horse race between the country’s former leader, John Mahama an opposition candidate and the serving Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.
In the capital city Accra, demonstrators adorned in red and white T-shirts, carried placards with inscriptions such as “we need justice in this election”.
NDC has accused the Electoral Commision (EC) of rejecting a suggestion that the UN Development Programme be allowed to oversee the process of audit.
The EC has said calls for an audit are misguided and unnecessary, but the opposition warns that thousands of registered voters risk being disenfranchised if errors persist.
The commission said mistakes highlighted previously have been corrected.
The communications director of the governing New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagba, said his party has “faith in the Electoral Commission’s independence to ensure a credible vote in December”.
