Let me say that at the end of the day, the register is as good as the stakeholders are prepared to accept. If they think there is nothing wrong with the register that is fine.
Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission
Audio Attachment Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission
The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, says there could be something statistically wrong with the Voters Register.
Dr. Afari Gyan told Joy FM this morning that about 13 million voters currently have their names in the voters register, and given Ghana’s population of about 22 million, then statistically, it cannot be acceptable.
He has therefore called on all Ghanaians to help purge the Register before the December Elections.
“If our population is indeed 22 million, then perhaps 13 million people on our register would be statistically unacceptable by world standards. If that is the case, then it may mean that there is something wrong with our register.”
Dr. Gyan told Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah on the Super Morning Show that during the limited registration exercise in September, about 1.8 million people registered, amidst widespread reports of minors and foreigners registering as well as people doing multiple registration, and if the figures are not acceptable, “then we have to find a way of cleaning the register.”
He said he has told the political parties that cleaning the register should be a collective responsibility of all Ghanaians.
“All of us as Ghanaians, if we think the figure is not realistic, have a collective responsibility to try to clean the register.”
“We are going to exhibit the register, maybe starting from the first week of next month, …, we’re going to place the register at every polling station in Ghana and registered voters are expected to go and make sure that their names are in the register. They also have the opportunity to scrutinize the register and see whether there are any illegitimate names in the register. If they find any illegitimate names, they can object to those names.”
Dr. Afari Gyan said he cannot be expected to know all the people in the register and it is incumbent on all Ghanaians to play responsible roles in getting a credible register.
“If you are a parent and your daughter is less than 18 and her name is in the register you will know.”
Asked how he would expect persons who have deliberately engaged in illegalities, (given that claims of minors and other ‘illegals’ registered in the limited registration exercise were true), to now own up and willingly do what is just, he said the Commission has no option but to use whatever register is available at the end of the day for the December polls.
“Let me say that at the end of the day, the register is as good as the stakeholders are prepared to accept. If they think there is nothing wrong with the register that is fine. If they think there’s nothing wrong with the register; they bussed the people, they sent the children, they invited the foreigners to come and participate in this. If they think that is ok…What else could we use? We have to use a register. That is the register that we will use.”
Let me say that at the end of the day, the register is as good as the stakeholders are prepared to accept. If they think there is nothing wrong with the register that is fine. 