News:
November 16, 2012
The Member of Parliament for Manhyia Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has charged the Electoral Commission (E.C) to question its staff for registering underage children during the biometric Voter registration exercise.
According to him, the officials needed to have reported the issue to their superiors at the EC office for them to take appropriate action on this illegal and criminal act.
The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan at a news conference in Accra with Journalist over the issue of they (Journalist’s) inability to take part in special voters exercise as has been the practice in past elections stated that the 2012 biometric register has pictures and names of obviously young children who should not be on the register.
Dr. Afari Gyan said even though it has not been confirmed, he was informed at a meeting that the Ashanti and Volta regions, considered as the strongholds of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) respectively, had the highest number of minors in the register.
The EC Chairman expressed disquiet about the situation and slammed the deceptive tendencies displayed by people in the registration exercise despite all the public education on the process.
However speaking on OKAY Fm on Friday, Hon. Dr. Opoku Prempeh wondered what stopped the EC officials from alerting their bosses after they had registered the minors.
“Even if the officials were forced to register the kids, they should have reported the issue at the close of day after registering them for the matter to be dealt with’’ he said.
He stated that the EC must as a matter of urgency act on the anomaly and ensure these ineligible would -be voters are not allowed to vote.
Hon. Dr Opoku Prempeh urged the EC to proceed to the court to secure a restraining order to prevent the children from voting.
Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh