NPP secretary faults EC, NIA over registration irregularities

Greater Accra Regional Secretary for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nii Odarlai Parker has censured officials of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) for masterminding irregularities in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

The registration, according to Nii Odarlai, has been flawed at various centers due to “inept and untrustworthy” officials employed by EC to conduct the exercise.

He says the EC officials are the reason politicians bus people from one constituency to the other to register them though these people don’t live or work in the area and are not supposed to register there.

Speaking on the Yensempa morning show on Onua FM on Tuesday, August 4, the regional NPP executive said most electoral officers employed by EC to conduct the ongoing registration exercise are politicians who do everything possible to aid their respective parties to ruin the exercise.

He alleged that most EC officials take money from political parties in getting ineligible applicants registered.

“Three days today, my Member of Parliament for Okaikoi North called and complained about an EC officer who takes money and register foreigners at a particular registration center in the area.”

The legislator has since reported the case to the National Security Secretariat and Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and no action has been taken, he added.

He told host Anokyewaaba Adwoa Serwaa that until this generation becomes patriotic, Ghana would continue to be underdeveloped and have challenges in every election year.

The NPP regional secretary took a swipe at the National Identification Authority (NIA) for not being apt in completing its registration.

Nii Odarlai also censured NIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Professor Ken Attafuah, describing his performance at the NIA as abysmal, especially the idea of conducting mass registration and Ghana Card issuance.

He believes the EC could have used the NIA registration data for the new voter register if the exercise would have been successful.

He, thus, appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to admonish and scold Prof. Attafuah for his terrible and revolting performance as CEO of NIA.