Reports from Kumasi indicate that the way political parties, some Electoral Commission officials and the police are conducting themselves at the on-going voter's registration exercise is nothing short of a “jungle law” at display.
Dr. Kwabena Adjei, chairman of the National Democratic Congress, told Joy News some people of Northern and Volta descent are being prevented from registering in some parts of the Ashanti Region.
He said for the past six days, they have been rescuing some of these distressed people who are sometimes brutalised by residents and the police.
“Some of them go through the process, they mark their fingers and they say they should go to the north and register. Others go there and they bring policemen to chase and arrest them.
“It is the jungle law operating here. We don’t have process and procedure in Ashanti here; we don’t have protection even from the police,” he lamented.
When asked if he has reported the situation to the appropriate institutions, Dr. Adjei replied, “We better keep quiet and go ahead, whatever happens, it happens.”
In an another development, the ruling New Patriotic Party has made a clarion call to the Electoral Commission to call for an emergency Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to resolve the issue of minors being registered.
According to Joy News Ahmed Shaibu, the Research Director of the Nana Akufo-Addo campaign team, Dan Botwe said the registration of underage persons can cast a slur on the image of Ghana.
He said allowing minors to register and vote is unacceptable.
Dan Botwe said even if IPAC fail to deal with the issue, his party will resist minors from voting in the December elections.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Afari Djan said his outfit has mechanism in place to smoke out persons involved in electoral fraud for prosecution.
He also assured that the EC in “its good sense” would find a way of ensuring that every eligible voter is registered.
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