The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, said the party was not against the call for an audit of the register.
He said the position of the party is for the EC to conduct the audit in accordance with law.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, September 19, 2024, the private legal practitioner said it is important to ensure transparency and accuracy in the voter register, but the Electoral Commission (EC) should follow the law in doing it.
He said the position of the National Democratic Congress on theatre was deceptive, especially when they have refused to submit any evidence to the EC.
“However, what many Ghanaians and the NPP cannot comprehend, is why the NDC has still not submitted to the EC, detailed information of its so-called irregularities, discrepancies and unauthorised manipulation of the provisional register despite several appeals by the E.C. For instance, in Page 2 of their petition to the EC, the NDC stated emphatically that they have uncovered evidence of Two Hundred and Forty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty (243,540) illegal transfers, Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Seven (3,957) deleted names of voters, as well as over Fifteen Thousand unidentified voter transfer paths in the provisional register.
Yet, thirteen days after the NDC first met the EC on September 6, 2024, they have still not provided a single document to authenticate any of these allegations.”
He added that “The NPP finds it difficult to comprehend the call by the NDC for an independent forensic audit of the provisional register for the 2024 general elections on the basis of alleged errors and discrepancies.
Ladies and gentlemen, in addressing a critical matter of this nature, the law and history must always serve as a guide. The Constitutional Instrument on the Registration of Voter, C.I. 91 as amended by C.I. 127, anticipated such errors and made provisions for remedying any such occurrence.
For emphasis, C.I. 127 makes provision for the resolution of discrepancies such as the inclusion of omitted names, removal of names of deceased voters from the register, correction to wrong spelling of names, correction to wrong registration center codes, replacement of poor quality Voter ID Cards, and also makes provision for the transfer of voters, special voters list and objection to names of unqualified voters on the register.
Hence, the identification of any of such errors in the provisional register does not call for an independent forensic audit as being demanded by the NDC.”
In view of the submissions made by the New Patriotic Party, it is obvious that the recent agitations by the NDC pertaining the 2024 Provisional Register is needless, deceptive, mischievous and a deliberate attempt to create tensions in the country knowing very well that they are bound to lose the 2024 general elections.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana