The Electoral Commission of Ghana has addressed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) call for an independent forensic audit of the 2024 voters register, asserting that such an audit is unnecessary given the Commission’s existing procedures.
In a press briefing on August 12, Deputy Commissioner Samuel Tetteh remarked on the NDC’s sudden interest in the voter register, suggesting that this is the first time the party has raised concerns about its accuracy.
He noted that the 2016 register, which reportedly included photographs of plants and animals as voter representations, did not prompt similar demands from the NDC at the time.
Tetteh refuted claims that the voters’ register had been independently audited in the past, clarifying, “Since 1992, the voters’ register has never been audited.” He emphasized that the recently conducted Voters’ Register Exhibition Exercise serves as a robust mechanism for identifying and rectifying discrepancies.
During a September 6, 2024, meeting, the NDC cited five specific issues with the Provisional Voters Register and called for a forensic audit and re-exhibition of the register.
However, the Electoral Commission maintains that the existing Exhibition Exercise is sufficient and compliant with legal requirements stipulated in the Constitutional Instrument on the Registration of Voters (C.I. 91, as amended by C.I. 126).
Tetteh defended the Commission’s procedures, stating that the Exhibition Exercise, which has been in place since 1992, effectively addresses and corrects discrepancies. He added, “The Voter Register Exhibition Exercise serves as an audit, allowing for the correction of discrepancies identified through our established procedures.”
The Commission argues that a forensic audit would only add value to the current measures. Instead, it encourages the NDC to provide detailed information on the discrepancies they have identified to facilitate prompt resolution.
“The process we have in place is tried and tested,” Tetteh concluded. “Our focus is on resolving issues through established channels rather than introducing unnecessary external audits.”
