I would have allowed people to vote without verification – Afari-Gyan

The Chairman of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, on Wednesday, told the Supreme Court sitting on the presidential election petition that if he was a presiding officer during the December 2012 elections, he would have allowed people to vote without being biometrically verified.

Dr. Afari-Gyan made the interesting statement at the commencement of cross-examination by lead counsel for the petitioners, Philip Addison.

While answering questions on the introduction of the biometric verification system, Dr. Afari-Gyan stated that the biometric verification system was introduced to eliminate the occurrence of impersonation and multiple voting in public elections.

However, when queried on whether the verification system ensured that such occurrences were completely eliminated in the conduct of the 2012 general elections, Dr. Afari-Gyan stated that he could not say that as certain human influences might have prevented that from happening.

When queried further on what sort of human influences could have prevented the total elimination of impersonation and multiple voting in the 2012 elections, Dr. Afari-Gyan categorically stated that, for example, if he was a presiding officer, he would have allowed certain kinds of people to vote without going through biometric verification.

“For example, I was a presiding officer during the elections and a paramount chief came, and everyone knows Nana, and his name is in the voters’ register but can’t be verified, I would allow him to vote because he is known”, he said.

However, more contradictions followed when Dr. Afari-Gyan disagreed with Counsel Philip Addison who asked the EC boss if his justification of human factors in the verification process meant that presiding officers had discretion to allow people to vote without verification. Dr. Afari-Gyan categorically stated that, that wasn’t the case.

The statement of Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan is contrary to earlier statements made by him during his examination in chief, when he stated categorically that every voter ought to have voted only after going through biometric verification as had been mandated by the law, and a subsequent agreement reached by all political parties at IPAC.

Regulation 30 (2) of the C.I 75 which was the guiding law of the 2012 General Elections clearly states, “The voter shall go through a biometric verification process” and it is surprising that the Electoral Commissioner would attempt to introduce justifications for certain people to have voted without being verified especially as the commission has always maintained even in the course of the trial that all voters voted after being biometrically verified on December 7th and 8th.