A/R: Show proof of registration flaws or shut up - NPP MP

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Offinso South constituency in the Ashanti region Ben Abdullah Banda has cautioned party agents against making false accusations of fraudulent registrations in the ongoing limited registration exercise.

The Electoral Commission (EC) since April 28 has been registering eligible voters in an exercise which is expected to end on May 8, 2016. The avenue has seen Ghanaians who have turned eighteen (18) over the past four years and eligible voters who have never entered the country’s electoral roll visit their respective electoral areas to register.

The past days have been quite tumultuous with excesses of party elements challenging the eligibility of registrants and groups, attacking each other with thugs over same. The Ashanti region police command has expressed disgust with the utterances and actions particularly of the Ashanti Regional offices of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The police service has served notice it is on the heels of the Ashanti Regional chairman of the NPP Bernard Antwi Boasiako for physically assaulting the MP for Manhyia North in one of the registration centres in Krofrom.

The Honourable Abdulla Banda is asking that party agents ensure that they go through the laid down channels to make their cases rather than resort to violence.

Speaking to Ultimate News’ Thomas Asamoah, he noted “if you challenge somebody, you should have the legitimate basis for doing that and if you don’t, you had better not challenge the individual.”

At the end of the day you are going to appear before a review committee and you must come and prove and give evidence why you challenged the person,” he warned. “If someone says he is 18 and his mother and father have all attested to it, you should be able to provide weightier evidence which has more probative value to prove it because he who alleges must prove it.” He added.

The Offinso Legislator has also slammed the EC for misapplying funds allocated to it. He suggests that the electoral commission fared poorly in publicity because of its heavy investment into its logo rebranding exercise.