The Electoral Commission’s (EC) attempts to rationalize the voter register, in the face of glaring discrepancies uncovered by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), are nothing short of a futile exercise.
The sheer magnitude of anomalies and irregularities demands a more rigorous and transparent approach – a forensic audit – to restore credibility to the electoral process.
Accordingly, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Director of Elections and IT for the NDC, has expressed outrage over the EC’s admission that some errors in the voter register were “deliberate”, calling it ridiculous.
He emphasized that the EC’s attempt to rationalize these mistakes after the fact is unacceptable, reiterating the NDC’s demand for a forensic audit to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
“We maintain that the EC is a crime scene, and the voters register is unfit-for-purpose. Last night, the EC shockingly disclosed an afterthought after they’ve been caught pants down!”
“Speaking through the new Director of Electoral Services (Benjamin Bio on Tv), the EC announced and rationalized that they deliberately added voters who transferred their votes in 2020 to 2024 transfers”.
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
Following the NDC’s meeting with the EC After the NDC’s meeting with the Electoral Commission, three key steps emerged to resolve the voter register controversy: an independent forensic audit, submission of NDC’s findings, and re-exhibition of the register post-audit.
Dr. Omane Boamah emphasized that these three conditions are interconnected and non-negotiable, particularly the demand for a forensic audit, which the NDC insists must be conducted to ensure the register’s integrity.
He stated that the EC’s refusal to conduct a forensic audit despite glaring errors has eroded trust and cooperation, undermining the progress made in last Friday’s meeting with the NDC.
“Let’s face it, even before we would share the fullest extent of the errors with them, they’ve started rationalizing their criminal manipulation of the register, which would have gone unnoticed but for our EagleEyes”.
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
NDC Uncovers Potential Fraud In Voter Register
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah revealed that the NDC’s investigation uncovered 243,540 previous transfers unlawfully added to the 2024 transfers, with some names repeated, indicating potential fraud.
Additionally, the NDC found over 15,000 unidentifiable voter transfer paths, raising questions about the original registration locations of these voters and suggesting possible fake registrations.
He pointed out that 3,957 voters who were present in the 2023 register have mysteriously been removed from the 2024 Provisional Register, supposedly due to transfers.
“2,094 voters transferred to different polling stations but not found in Absent Voter List as required by Law. Corrupt files not showing names and photos of the registered voters (what if this happens on election day?)”.
“We believe a forensic audit will answer the following questions: The Extent of Manipulation: How widespread is the issue of illegal voter transfers? If the Pusiga EC Office could transfer voters from Tamale South Constituency without proper authorization, what is the scale of similar incidents across the country? How many voters might have been affected, and how can this be accurately quantified?”
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
Dr. Omane Boamah emphasized that the audit will uncover the specific vulnerabilities in the Electoral Commission’s systems, both human and technical, that enabled the unauthorized transfers.
The audit will also reveal whether protocols or security measures were bypassed or ignored, and whether the EC’s efforts to address these weaknesses will prevent future manipulations ahead of the December 07 elections.
Additionally, the audit will determine why the EC failed to implement such measures earlier.
Audit to Expose Delay In Voters Register Release
Dr. Omane Boamah stated that the audit will reveal the reasons behind the avoidable delay in providing the Provisional Voters Register to political parties, and expose the circumstances that led to this unnecessary postponement.
“Impact of the Mistakes on the Elections: What is the potential impact of the admitted mistakes and errors by the Electoral Commission on the fairness of the upcoming elections? Will the mistakes compromise the integrity of the election results?”
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
Dr. Omane Boamah pointed out that the EC’s attempt to downplay its mistakes by citing past errors is insufficient.
As such, he indicated that the audit will clarify how this comparison addresses current concerns and what lessons have been learned from previous mistakes to prevent similar issues.
The audit will also establish a timeline for resolving these issues to ensure a reliable, credible, accurate, and fit-for-purpose voters register before the printing of registers and materials commences as originally planned and agreed upon at IPAC.
Dr. Omane Boamah emphasized that an independent forensic audit is crucial and non-negotiable to ensure the credibility of Ghana’s electoral process, guaranteeing that the upcoming elections genuinely reflect the will of the Ghanaian people.
“We urge the Electoral Commission to immediately desist from needless rationalization of their avoidable errors!” – Dr. Omane Boamah
He stressed that the EC must recognize that the credibility of Ghana’s democracy relies on the trustworthiness and integrity of its electoral institutions.
