The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers, CODEO, has urged the Electoral Commission to takes steps to rid the voters’ register of minors.
CODEO says it’s monitoring of the recent limited voter registration in preparation towards the creation of six new regions, shows that some persons suspected to be minors were successfully registered.
The election observer group cited some registration centers in the Western region, Krachi West in the Volta Region, and Sawla-Tuna in the Northern region, as areas where suspected minors went through the registration process while political party agents looked on.
In an interview with Citi News, the National Coordinator of CODEO, Albert Arhin, said there’s avenue for the suspected minors to be removed from the register during voter exhibition.
“All is not lost yet, we need to either confront the parents, the parties themselves would have to educate their people,” he said
Albert Arhin further advised that applicants must be asked to provide birth certificates to authenticate their ages.
“If we leave it to the parties, it becomes just free for all. Party A brings and party B does same at the registration Centre, nobody challenges each other, and it becomes a dicey issue,” he lamented.
EC defies lawsuits
The Electoral Commission started the limited voter registration exercise on Sunday, September 16, 2018. The exercise forms part of plans towards the upcoming referendum on the creation of six new regions, scheduled for later this year, 2018.
The Electoral Commission has been hit with two different lawsuits challenging the yet-to-be-held referendum for the creation of six additional regions.
A group calling itself Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa as well as three individuals, Mayor Agblexe, Destiny Awlimey, and Jean-Claude Koku Amenyaoglo, have dragged the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General to the Supreme Court in two separate suits.
According to the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, the registration exercise is being rolled out despite the recent lawsuits because the writs had no implication on the exercise.
“With regards to the suit, the service of the writ of summons on us was delivered yesterday [Thursday], but it was not with an implication and therefore it cannot be held binding an effective injunction on the commission. And that is why we are going ahead with the limited registration exercise as planned,” she added.
The Commission is putting processes in place to hold a referendum in parts of the country for the creation of six additional regions following recommendations the Justice Brobbey Commission made to government.
The 19-member Commission after holding nationwide consultations urged government to create the administrative regions to be known as Oti, Ahafo, Brong East, Western North, North East and Savanna.
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By: Abena Owusu Nyamekye/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
