The Electoral Commission (EC) has denied deliberately removing persons from the voters’ register prior to the December 7th polls as being circulated.
According to the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, the names that were taken out of the system are names that appeared in the multiple and exceptions list which was detected and isolated by the ABIS system and not removed by the staff of the Commission.
“This list is generated by the ABIS system when it detects multiple registrations by a unique individual when the same set of fingerprints appears for persons bearing different names. The system picks this up and isolates the registrant. This is not done by staff of the commission,” she said at the ‘Let the Citizens Know’ series held in Accra on Monday.
Mrs Mensa also said,”I emphasize this to allay the fears or perception of the Commission deliberately removing names of registrants from the Register. When a person with a unique set of fingerprints registers multiple times, this is flagged and picked up by the system and the names and details are isolated on the Multiples list.”
She added that,”Again, there have been perceptions that the EC is deliberating removing persons from the register and placing them on the Exceptions list. This is false.”
Mrs Mensa further explained that the Exceptions list refers to unique individuals who conducted various forms of electoral malpractices including underage registration, registration by foreigners, and registration by persons not ordinarily resident in the area where they wish to register.
“To date, we have a total number of 13,997 persons on the Exceptions list. It is important to note that the list was developed as a result of the citizens at the grass root level challenging and objecting to registration of certain persons. During the Registration Exercise a number of persons had their registrations challenged,” she said.
She added that,”As a result, they were not provided with their Voter ID cards. Additionally, during the Exhibition period, a number of persons had their registrations objected to for some of the reasons stated above. It is important to know that those challenged at registration had to opportunity to appeal against the challenge to their registration by providing proof of their eligibility to be registered to the DRRC set up by the Electoral Commission to hear these cases. Some of the challenged persons had their challenges overturned and these persons were then provided with their cards and included in the Voters Register.”
Meanwhile, she said persons whose registrations were objected to during the Exhibition processes also had the opportunity to appear before the Magistrate.i.e. the DRRO and appealed against their objections by presenting requisite documents and evidence to prove their eligibility.
Mrs Mensa noted however, that a good number the objections were overturned, and these persons have been reflected in the register.
“It is important to note that beyond this, a number of persons whose appeals were not granted by the DRRC and DRRO sought redress at the High Court. A number of appeals were granted, and these persons have been included in the Voters Register as we speak. Two of such cases occurred in Zubzugu, in the Northern where some 443 people have been included in the register following the granting of their appeal by the High Court. Their Voter ID cards have since been issued to them,” she said.
Again, in Effutu, Winneba, she said some fifty-two (52) persons appealed against the objection to their inclusion in the register.
The High Court, she said overturned those objections and they have all been included in the Voters Register by the Commission.
“As we speak their voters ID cards have been issued to them,” she noted.
Although in the past the Multiples List and the Exception List were not published by the Commission, Mrs Mensa said in the spirit of transparency, the Commission has decided to publish both lists on its website.
“Both lists add up to a total number twenty one thousand, eight hundred and eighty seven (21,887)unique individuals,” she said.
Mrs Mensa again said,”For the information of the general public, the Exceptions and Multiples List prior to the 2016 election amounted to some eight hundred thousand 800,000 persons. They were banned from voting in the 2016 Elections. Today these persons have been given another opportunity to register and vote.”
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com | Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
