NDC accuses EC of ambush offline registration

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of ambushing political parties when it decided to resort to offline registration after its internet connection failed in the ongoing limited voters’ registration exercise.

According to the party, the parties predicted internet challenges but the EC pushed back and insisted on using the current procedure of registration.

Kwame Zuh, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, cautioned that they would not countenance the use of Biometric Verification Device (BVD), it would not be acceptable by any of their agents across the country saying, “If everyone can regularly predict our internet system is not reliable but EC insisted, it means they have an agenda.

“The EC ambushed us, it decided to use offline system without informing any of the stakeholders,” however, Benjamin Bioh, the Ashanti Regional Director of EC, maintained that the exercise had been smooth so far.

“Before we switched to offline system, agents of all political parties were informed, we managed to register over 3,000 people, political parties do not determine mode of registration, it is one thing NDC should get clear, we have back-up which is an offline system, when we have challenges, we can switch to platform, the claim by NDC is disingenuous, before we switched to offline system, agents of all political parties were informed,” Mr Bioh pointed out.

James Bomfeh Jnr, the General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), noted that there were issues and challenges with the exercise, but the EC was attending to it and must be supported and encouraged.

The limited voters’ registration exercise allows potential voters, and others who have attained the age of 18 to be captured on the country’s voters’ register ahead of the referendum for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts (MMDCEs) on December 10, 2019.