Report on Voters’ Register not ready yet – Electoral Commission

The five-member panel that looked into concerns over the credibility of the country’s voters’ register is yet to complete its work, the Electoral Commission has said, and asked all to disregard any contrary claims.

“The EC wishes to inform the general public and the media that the panel is yet to complete its work and no report has been submitted to the Commission,” the EC said.

A statement issued by the Commission and signed by Mr Christian Owusu-Parry, EC acting Director, Public Affairs thus asked Ghanaians  “to disregard any reports circulating in the media”.

The Commission said it will inform the public of the recommendations of the panel and the final decision that will be taken by the Commission on the register as soon as the requisite processes were concluded.

Incessant claims from the New Patriotic Party and other political pressure groups that the country’s electoral register is compromised, a five member panel chaired by Prof. V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe was constituted by the EC on October 2015 to look into the issues and make recommendations to the EC on the way forward.

After some partisan pressure led by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Electoral Commission announced the setting up of the five-man panel on 23 October 2015 to hold a two-day public hearing on the controversial Voters’ Register.

The NPP submitted evidence which suggested that at least 76,000 foreign nationals particularly from the neighbouring Togo, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast are on the register, hence argued it cannot be used for the 2016 elections

The panel, which had Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante; Dr. Grace Bediako, Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor; and Maulvi Bin Salih as members held two public hearings which saw all poltiical parties and other stakeholders share their views on the register.

While some, including the NPP argued for a totally new register, others underscored the need for it to be cleaned up but the National Democratic Congress finding nothing wrong with the current register.

By editors.3news.com|Ghana