The Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Tanko Rashid Computer has expressed deep concerns about the integrity of Ghana’s voter register.
Meanwhile, the NDC had a formal demonstration with the Electoral Commission (EC), showing the various problems they had identified in the voter register. Mr. Tanko revealed that the entire leadership of the EC, including their ICT consultant, was present at the meeting. He noted that the NDC had presented their grievances and emphasized the scale of the issues they had uncovered during their checks. Despite this, the NDC continued to conduct further investigations into the integrity of the register.
“All the commissioners were there, plus their ICT consultant. They look at it, they look at the enormity of the problems that we demonstrated to them and we said, look, we are even ongoing, we are still doing further checks about it.”
Tanko Rashid Computer the Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
This statement indicates that the NDC had, at this point, identified numerous discrepancies, but the investigation was far from complete.
One of the critical points raised by Mr. Tanko was the NDC’s lack of trust in the EC’s ability to resolve these discrepancies. He alleged that the EC had deliberately created a flawed register, which raised serious concerns about their neutrality.
“But these issues that we are, we cannot trust your judgment to fix it. Because you deliberately created that mess. They use their own words, that they deliberately added those what? How do you deliberately add figures into a register?”
Tanko Rashid Computer the Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Mr. Tanko highlighted that the deliberate addition of numbers to the register was a suspicious act that required further explanation. This, according to Tanko, was a fundamental issue that questioned the EC’s credibility and objectivity in managing the voter register.
Call for a Comprehensive Audit of the Voter Register
Mr. Tanko emphasized that a comprehensive audit of the voter register was necessary. He challenged the EC’s reluctance to allow such an audit, arguing that transparency would benefit all parties involved. This would ensure that all stakeholders could be confident in the integrity of the voter list. He pointed that; “Let us have the audit. What is their fear? Why do they have to hide? If they have nothing to hide, they should allow the audit.”Mr. Tanko further explained that an audit would level the playing field, ensuring that the election process was clean, transparent, and free of potential manipulation.
“When the audit comes, we all, our heads up. Everybody will be on a level playing ground. We don’t know that we have a clean register. If we have a clean register, we exhibit it.”
Tanko Rashid Computer the Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
The Importance of a Clean Register and Exhibition
A key part of Mr. Tanko’s argument was the importance of exhibiting a clean and accurate voter register. This would ensure that the register was in its proper form before the election. He mentioned; “… How many days that will it take us to exhibit? Even a 1-week exhibition is enough.”
According to him, an adequate exhibition period would give voters the opportunity to check their names and ensure that the register was accurate, neat, and ready for use in the elections. He warned that the failure to maintain an accurate voter list could destabilize the country, suggesting that elections are built on the foundation of proper voter registration and voting systems.
“…These are the things that make elections free and fair… If a country is to be destabilized, it’s through registration of voters and then voting.”
Tanko Rashid Computer the Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Mr. Tanko’s comments underlined the seriousness of the NDC’s concerns and the belief that the current voter register if left unchecked, could potentially compromise the fairness of the election process. Mr. Tanko’s emphasis reflected the NDC’s ongoing concerns about the credibility of the voter register ahead of Ghana’s elections. His call for an audit and a clean exhibition process are aimed at ensuring that the elections are conducted transparently. The NDC’s lack of trust in the Electoral Commission, combined with allegations of deliberate manipulation of the register, points to a deep divide between the opposition and the election management body.
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