Fifteen Togolese workers of Diamond Cement Company in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region allegedly registered in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.
Mr Nathaniel Quaye, District Electoral Officer, confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday and said the Electoral Commission (EC) officials had retrieved their voters’ identity cards and cancelled their registration as well.
He said the EC had informed the police about the incident but no arrest had been made.
He said the Togolese managed to register at the Bokoro Registration Centre in the Ewusiejo Electoral Area in the Ahanta West District on Monday, August 11, and since no one challenged them when they were registering they registered successfully.
“If their registration was challenged when they were registering, their voters’ identity cards would have been confiscated by the EC,” he said.
He explained that anyone whose registration was challenged the ID card is confiscated by the EC and the person later appears before a registration review committee for adjudication.
He said when he/she is proven innocent the ID card would be returned to him/her but if proved otherwise the ID card was confiscated and the necessary legal action would be taken against the person.
He said the EC was not taking chances in the exercise and that any foreigner or unqualified person that tried registering in the ongoing exercise would be prosecuted.
He said the limited voter registration was meant for Ghanaians who are 18 years and above and of sound mind as well as those who could not register in the last registration exercise in 2012.
Meanwhile, Mr Charles Bissue, Western Regional Secretary of the NPP, told the GNA that the party halted a move by some minors in the Wassa East District from being registered and, therefore, urged all party polling agents to be extra vigilant to avert any move to register unqualified people.
The limited voter registration exercise started from August 4 and would end on Wednesday, August 13.
