Gabby flays Electoral Commission over delay tactics

Former Executive Director of the Danquah Institute and Member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of deliberately dragging its feet over calls for a new voters register.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) have called for the compilation of a new voters register as they claim the current album is fraught with anomalies.

The NPP has already presented evidence which puts the credibility of the nation’s electoral roll in doubt. According to the party, there was evidence of about 80000 Togolese nationals in the country’s register hence their demands for a new one.

But the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) insist there’s no need for a new voters register.

Following the arguments, the EC last month urged all political parties to submit proposals on whether there’s the need or not for a new voters register for the upcoming 2016 elections, and further scheduled a meeting for yesterday.

At Wednesday’s deliberations, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, revealed that the commission has engaged the services of independent IT experts to investigate the allegations of a bloated voters register.

The EC has further set another meeting for the last week in October during which the various political parties will be engaged in a forum to make its case either for a new register or not.

But speaking to Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.3 FM, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko stated that another forum is needless.

“The EC’s decision to hold a forum late October for political parties to make their presentations after they’ve submitted written proposals is a needless activity that is only intended to unduly delay the process leading to the compilation of the new register”.

“You say you’re engaging independent IT experts to look into NPP’s claim, and you leave the issue hanging, what are their terms of reference, what are the timelines for them to submit their findings. These are issues that must be cleared”.