Akatsi EC official verifies residents at home

During the just-ended nationwide verification and re-registration exercise of the Electoral Commission (EC), an exhibition officer was discovered to have flouted the electoral laws of Ghana by verifying people in their homes, Daily Guide has learnt.

The exhibition officer at the Wute E.P. Primary School centre who has been identified as one Paul Adzaho, was seen moving the verification machine from house to house to verify residents of Wute in the Akatsi South Constituency of the Volta Region.

Some residents in the area who hinted Daily Guide on the development alleged that Mr Adzaho undertook the illegal activity with the connivance of one Nasimu Gbemu, the ward chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the assembly member of the area, Sulleyman Seidu.

According to the residents, Paul is also a known activist of the NDC in the area. They disclosed that he contested as a youth organiser at the last NDC constituency elections.

A petition dated August 3 and signed by one Ibrahim Salifu Adotey, a former Nasara Coordinator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the constituency, confirmed that the attention of the Electoral Commission in Akatsi South was drawn to the matter for their action.

However, the District Electoral Officer at Akatsi South, Akorfa Buabasah, refused to comment on the matter, as she wasn’t the right officer to do so.

The Volta Regional Electoral Office, on the other hand, revealed that the allegation had been recorded by the office. To this end, the said officer and his colleague officer at the Wute E.P Primary School centre were dismissed.

The Regional Electoral Officer, Selormey Adukpo Dogbey, confirmed that the incident really happened, but not as was alleged by the residents.

He explained that just few days into the verification and re-registration exercise, he had a call from Akatsi about the development. He directed the district office to investigate the matter immediately.

Consequently, the two officers at the Wute E.P Primary School centre were dismissed. This was after it had come to light that one of the officers had gone to verify his friend at home. The friend was reported to have been incapacitated in the leg after a horrid accident.

Mr Dogbey also confirmed that the NPP sent him a petition concerning the matter, but interestingly, “the petition was belated, because we had long taken action and dismissed the culprits before their petition.”

He, therefore, assured the public that the EC was on top of issues and would ensure credible, free and fair elections.

The regional electoral officer also encouraged the public to promptly volunteer information on all electoral issues for prompt action to be taken.