The Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa East, Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, in a bid to address the accessibility challenges faced by residents of the Wa East District in participating in the ongoing limited voters' registration exercise, has appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) for the establishment of an additional registration centre in another area of the district that will be more accessible to the over 80% of the population of the district.
According to the lawmaker, the present location of the EC's district office is accessible to the Sissala belt while a chunk of the people are completely cut off by either filled rivers or deplorable roads leading to the district capital where the EC office is situated.
“The situation we find ourselves in is a big constraint to us in accessibility and also for the exercise of registering new voters. The Wa East case is a unique one and the capital is in Funsi.
“Accessing Funsi is a very difficult situation and the road to the place has been cut off by the rivers, so that is our challenge now.
“So the choice of district capital for this registration is a huge constraint. So I would like to call on the government and the EC to consider opening a new registration centre for the Wa East District otherwise most eligible voters cannot get the capital and register,” he said.
The MP's appeal comes against the backdrop of the deplorable state of all the roads leading to the district capital, where the EC office is currently located.
The poor road conditions, according to the MP, have significantly hindered citizens' ability to access the registration centre, posing a major obstacle to their democratic rights.
Addressing the media after his journey to the EC office at the district capital was truncated by raging water between Yanyuoriyi and the Ambalara bridge, Dr Jasaw highlighted the urgent need for an additionally accessible registration centre.
The MP stressed that no citizen should be disenfranchised due to the lack of proper road infrastructure.
The MP further bemoaned that the deplorable condition of the roads to the district office not only affects the electoral process but also hampers overall development in the region.
He also emphasized that it is not just an electoral issue but a matter of basic infrastructural development.
The MP is therefore urging the Electoral Commission to take urgent steps by establishing an additional registration centre more accessible to the other areas of the district which has been cut off by rivers and lack of motorable roads.
By doing so, they aim to remove the barriers preventing potential registrants from participating effectively in the democratic process.