NDC Protests Over Voter Register Next Week

Under what is called “Enough is Enough Demo”, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will hit the streets of the regional capitals of Ghana next week to demand a forensic audit of the country’s electoral roll.

The protest is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17, 2024, the NDC has announced.

The opposition party has long flagged the register as “unfit for purpose” arguing the roll is full of errors and is certain the audit will answer all their questions.

According to the country’s largest opposition party, their demand for the audit is non-negotiable and essential for safeguarding the credibility of Ghana’s electoral process.

“The independent forensic audit will ensure that the upcoming elections reflect the true will of the suffering people of Ghana,” it added.

Below are Five Questions the NDC seeks answers to:
1. 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?

2. System Vulnerabilities: What specific vulnerabilities in the Electoral Commission’s systems – Human and Technical – allowed for these unauthorized transfers? Are there specific protocols or security measures that were bypassed or ignored? Specifically, will the EC’s attempts to address these weaknesses prevent further manipulations ahead of the December 07, elections? If yes, what prevented the EC from not instituting such measures?

3. Timeliness of Provisional Register: Why was there such an avoidable delay in providing the Provisional Voters Register to the NDC?

4. 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?

5. Historical Comparisons: The EC generalized its mistakes by referencing errors made by past Commissions. How does this comparison help address the current concerns, and what lessons have been learned from previous errors to prevent similar issues in the future?

6. Timeline for Corrections: What is the timeline for addressing these issues in order to derive a reliable, credible, accurate and fit-for-purpose voter register before printing of the registers, and other materials will commence as originally planned and agreed at IPAC?