NDC to hold nationwide protest over voter register 'irregularities'on Sept 17 - Asiedu Nketia

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced a plan to hold nationwide protest march on September 17, 2024 if the Electoral Commission (EC) does not address issues of irregularities it says it has found in the voter register ahead of the December 7 general election.

Speaking to the media after submitting the presidential nomination forms John Dramani Mahama, the party's flag bearer on Monday afternoon, [September 9, 2024], NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, expressed concern over what he said was "several discrepancies" identified in the register.

He mentioned that the party had formally petitioned the EC to rectify the issues but, despite assurances from the commission, no concrete action had been taken.

Mr Nketia warned that the integrity of the upcoming elections could be severely compromised if the EC fails to resolve the matter.

"Is it possible for a district officer anywhere to transfer names of voters to places they didn’t choose? And they are saying it is possible. If it is possible, then we are not safe," he remarked.

He further called for a full audit of the EC's IT systems, noting that the NDC has reached out to international development partners who are ready to provide funding for such an audit.

"We want an independent audit of the system," he added.

Touching on the submission of the flag bearer's nomination forms, Mr Nketia said they had met all requirements and were hopeful that their candidate will go through the process smoothly. 

"We are very confident of the eligibility of our candidate," he said. 

So far, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the governing New Patriotic Party has submitted his forms as well as Nana Kwame Bediako, an independent aspirant and Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG). 

All the forms were received by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensah.