The Electoral Commission has denied allegations that it deliberately prevented some observers from the opposition National Democratic Congress from monitoring the voter registration exercise at the Tepa Senior High School and the Prempeh College all in the Ashanti Region.
“The Commission emphatically states that it did not prevent any Party Agent from observing the Registration Exercise at the above-mentioned schools as is being alleged” a press statement from the commission said.
According to the Commission, all agents of the various political parties were informed of the planned registration exercise and requested to have their agents at each of the centres in the various schools.
At the Tepa Senior High School, the Commission said it made available sixteen (16) kits for the registration on the school’s campus and limited the number of political party agents to be present to two as part of measures taken by the school to protect the students from contracting the COVID -19 virus. , the school.
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Both the NDC and the NPP according to the EC, agreed to this arrangement. The EC said “Midway through the registration process, the NDC expressed dissatisfaction with the number of their party agents present. They consequently requested to have agent monitor each Kit. The school authorities opposed the idea as they felt that it would increase the number of persons present. In the wake of the disagreement, the School authorities called in the security agents who restored calm.”
According to the EC “The registration process continued thereafter. No person present was intimidated or brutalized as is being alleged”.
At the Prempeh College, the EC said agents of the NDC did not show up on time despite a notice to all political parties about the registration forcing the Commission to delay the exercise till 1.00pm, after the approved start time of 7am.
According to the EC when representatives of the NDC came to the Centre at 5.00 pm, after only one hundred and twenty-nine (129) out of over one thousand (1,000) eligible applicants had been registered, they called for the registration process to be halted due to the fact that their agents were not present.
The exercise was halted due to the confrontation that ensued between the NDC party agents and the EC officials but was later resolved and the process continued.
“The EC believes that the allegations are calculated to discredit the registration process and bring its name into disrepute. The Commission entreats the general
public to disregard the allegations and work with the Commission to make the registration exercise successful” the release added.
Source: ATLFMNEWS
