The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has lambasted the Electoral Commission (EC) for its repeated apologies and incompetence in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
According to National Deputy Communication Officer of the NDC, Malik Basintale, the EC’s preparedness claims have been exposed as a sham, with the commission apologizing three times within two days for various technical issues and logistical failures and constrains.
“Was the EC’s preparedness to commence the exercise and keep apologizing everyday? So far, it has apologized 3 times within two days, is it how it’s going to continue? Does madam Jean Mensah thought we made her the EC chair so that she will apologize to us after negligence”
Malik Basintale expressed outrage at the EC’s inability to learn from past mistakes, citing similar mistakes by the EC in 2018 and 2021. He questioned the commission’s planning and budgeting, given its huge requests from Parliament.
The NDC Deputy Communication Officer also demanded accountability for the ‘wasted resources’ and time of citizens who travel long distances to registration centers only to be turned back due to EC’s negligence, asking if “EC is going to compensate for the wasted time”
“In Yapei Kusawgu constituency, the registration machine was brought and sent back, which means that those who came from 15 kilometers to register, would have to go back unregistered, wasting their money on transportation. How does the EC compensate for those people”
“This is unpardonable and I think we must sit-up to some of these things. We cannot continue repeating mistakes from the past. In 2018 and 2021, same mistakes were repeated and we are where we are today”
“Even sending codes to returning officers in the Upper East Region took 24 hours. If those codes were given to Birds, they would have gotten to Bolga before 24 hours,” he lamented.
He further bemoaned the EC’s reliance on manual systems, suggesting that school registers and pens would be just as better as the offline registration, criticizing the commission’s failure to provide power generators as promised, leaving some registration centers without electricity.
“The same EC told the world that because of power challenges, they have made provision for power generators. But we have heard of places like Sagnarigu, Yapei, Tamale South and include Ashaiman, there were no generators. Meanwhile, EC comes to parliament with huge budgets that are approved. Only for them to apologize 3 times within 2 days, this is not pardonable”
Malik Basintale was worried that the EC’s repeated mistakes and apologies are unacceptable and undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
He called for greater accountability and competence from the Commission to ensure a credible and successful registration exercise.
These are unpardonable mistakes, he noted on Metro TV’s news and current affairs show, Good Morning Ghana on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
By: Bright Yao Dzakah | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
