It's 'bizarre' to suggest Akufo-Addo's electoral fortune is tied to a new register – Gabby Otchere-Darko

Gabby Otchere-Darko has described as “bizarre” suggestion from some elements especially within the opposition that President Akufo-Addo’s electoral fate is tied to a new voter register.

Mr Otchere-Darko said this after some people including the National Communications Officer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, said the lifting of the partial lockdown which was put in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by the President is to allow the National Identification Authority and the Electoral Commission to go on with the Ghana card and voter registration exercises respectively.

Mr Otchere-Darko who is the President’s cousin noted that such suggestions were “ludicrous”.

He explained in a Facebook post that “the decision by the two bodies to suspend registration until further notice was taken before the lockdown, and for now, I cannot see any reason whatsoever why that decision to suspend should change.

“The NPP won in 2016 with a register that we knew and was so certified as tainted. The EC set out to change it against resistance but COVID-19 has its own plans.

“Ghanaians should be more worried about the high energy the NDC is investing in protests, etc., to protect the tainted voters register than the EC seeking to change the register for a better one.”

Mr Otchere-Darko remarked that the NPP does not require a new register to win the December elections but rather believes a credible register enhances the integrity of the polls.

He stated that the NPP will be ok with whatever the EC, in its wisdom and the time available before the December elections, decides to do about the register.

In his view, he does not see the EC putting a register ahead of the health and safety of Ghanaians.



“I know Jean Mensah well from her time at IEA (and my time as a civil society activist) and she is one of the most committed, competent, sensible, objective and confident Ghanaian patriots I know. It is unfortunate but not strange for some elements to suggest that the President will tie his electoral fate to a new register. Bizarre!” the Danquah Institute founder said.