NDC accuses EC, NPP of manipulating voter registration exercise

Accra, Aug. 6, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest minority party contesting Election 2008, on Wednesday accused the Electoral Commission (EC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of deliberately mismanaging the ongoing voter registration exercise to create an unfair advantage for the ruling party.

The NDC said the EC was deliberately creating artificial shortage of registration materials and bashed the NPP of acts of violence and intimidation at the registration centres.

"We are therefore calling on the Electoral Commission and Government to take the necessary actions to rescue the process from the crisis it is facing now.

"We of the NDC roundly and unreservedly condemn any acts of intimidation harassment, high-level and gratuitous violence whether it is within a party as has been exemplified in the NPP or amongst contending political parties," the NDC said at a press conference at the Party headquarters in Accra.

Mr. Asiedu Nketiah, the General Secretary, read the statement and called on Ghanaians, the EC, the Security Forces, and President John Agyekum Kufuor to take notice of what the NDC called "the mismanagement of the electoral process".

"We trust that, if we all stand up and insist that Government and its agencies do the right things to ensure we have free, fair, transparent and credible elections this December, then God willing, we will have a President who is the real choice of the people of this country.

"We will also have selected 230 Members of Parliament who are truly representative of their constituents and we would have consolidated our reputation as one of the true democracies on the African continent," the NDC said.

The Party said there was a clear effort in the current registration exercise to limit the opportunity given to NDC supporters to register by creating artificial shortage of registration materials and the late start of registration in areas perceived as NDC strongholds, and turning away people who were of Northern and Ewe extraction from registration centres.

Mr Asiedu Nketiah related incidents at two separate registration centres within Subin Constituency in the Ashanti Region where people suspected to be of Northern and Ewe extraction were turned away at the instigation of NPP officials.

The NDC further complained that busloads of minors were being transported from NPP strongholds to other areas throughout the country, and further attempts to bring in people from other countries to register.

Aside, the General Secretary said NDC registration agents were being beaten up in the Ashanti Region and their records were being destroyed to prevent the tracking of records pointing out that this was against agreements reached at an Inter Party Advisory Committee meeting. Mr Nketiah related an incident at Akontombra in the Western Region where, he said, the District Chief Executive, Mr Appiah Kubi Baidoo, who is also the NPP parliamentary candidate, led a group of people to brutalise NDC supporters with

The NDC expressed concern over the shortage of registration materials and the use of black and white cameras instead of colour ones, and expressed the view that, "if these problems are not addressed, any extension of the time for the registration would not be useful". Mr Ntekiah said the electoral time table from now until voting in December 7 was already in crisis and any extension of the registration period would compound the spate of irregularities and manipulation of the system.

"We are therefore calling on the Electoral Commission and the Government to take the necessary actions to rescue the process from the crisis it is facing," the NDC said.

Among those present at the conference were Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, National Vice Chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, National Organiser, and Madam Ama Benyiwa Doe, the National Women's Organiser.