The Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu Gyamfi, has announced that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is scheduled to present its concerns regarding the voter register at an Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Wednesday, September 18.
Rev. Dr. Gyamfi urged the NDC to address their issues directly with the Electoral Commission (EC) rather than publicizing their grievances.
“The most important thing is to go to the discussion table and present the issues. Just airing them in the public domain does not resolve any problems,” he said.
He emphasized that the NDC should wait to complete the voter register clean-up before demanding further actions.
“If errors have been identified, the best forum is to present those errors, get them corrected, and then review the corrections,” he added. “We need to find and fix these errors before calling for an audit.”
The NDC is holding a nationwide protest today, Tuesday, September 17, under the banner “Enough is Enough,” in response to the EC’s refusal to conduct a forensic audit of the provisional voter register.
The NDC has expressed concerns over alleged discrepancies in the voter roll and the integrity of the voter transfer system, arguing that the provisional register includes illegal transfers that could impact the fairness of the 2024 elections.
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the NDC’s Director of Elections, criticized the EC’s decision, stating that an independent forensic audit is crucial for restoring confidence in the electoral process.
“The request for an independent forensic audit has not been accepted,” Dr. Boamah said. He also emphasized that an external body should handle the audit, likening the situation to a medical referral where the problem’s creator should not be responsible for its resolution.
Dr Boamah noted that development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), are prepared to support the audit process, but only if the EC requests assistance.
“The UNDP is ready and willing to provide support if the Electoral Commission formally requests it,” he said.
Despite these calls for external review, the EC remains firm in its decision not to proceed with the audit. Rev. Dr. Gyamfi hopes that the IPAC meeting will allow for a resolution of the NDC’s concerns.
“We were working towards a possible IPAC meeting today [September 16], but the NDC thought it would disrupt their protest plans.
The EC also has challenges due to the L.I that regulates the filing of nominations, which must be resolved before Wednesday’s meeting,” he stated. “We hope the NDC will present its grievances at the scheduled IPAC meeting for review.”
