No need for extension of registration period - Officers

Accra, March 28, GNA - "There is no need for extension. All those who want to register have registered." This was the refrain from Registration Officers at a number of Registration Centres in Accra the Ghana News Agency visited on Sunday. Mr Isaac Lamptey, Registration Officer at G-Maa Temporary Booth at Osu, CO 60507, said he had registered 819 voters at 1745 hours on Sunday when GNA visited. He said he registered only 24 voters for the whole of Sunday, adding that there was, therefore, no need for extension. "You think of extension if there is a queue. Any extension would be waste of time and resources. I think all those who want to register in my area have registered," he emphasised.

At the Civil Service Training Centre, CO 80515, the Registration Officer, Mr Cephas Dojy said there would be no need for extension since people trickled in to register on Sunday. At the Accra Girls' Secondary School Registration Centre CO 70414, the Registration Officer, Mr Dennisson O'Brien K. said he had registered 1,112 people at the time the GNA visited at 1705 hours on Sunday. He said he never ran out of forms as 250 old forms were added to the initial 1,000 forms. His problem had been with the inkpad, which he said, had ran dry.

Mr O'Brien said he did not see the need for the extension of the exercise because the people trickled in on Sunday. "If there has been a rush at the last minute, then one may say the period should be extended but as it is now I don't think there is the need for extension. At least not in my area," he said. At the Family Day Care Registration Centre, in the Maamobi West Electoral Area of East Ayawaso Constituency, the Registration Officer, Ms Elizabeth Appiah-Ampomaah said she had registered 734 and had never ran out of forms. She said there would be no need for extension because according to her all those, who genuinely wanted to register, had already registered. She came to this conclusion because only a few people came in to register on Sunday.

Mr Edmund Adom of Flagstaff House Registration Centre, CO 70103, said he was given 1,000 forms initially but the Electoral Commission came for 250 and out of the 750 left he had registered only 336 voters. He said there would be no need to extend the period of registration at least not in his area since he had been at post all along and believed that all those who wanted to register had done so. At the Christ the King Registration Centre, CO 80521, of La-Koo Electoral Area of Dade-Kotopon Constituency, the Registration Officer, Mr Richmond Laryea said he had registered 1,157 voters. He said he was supplied with additional 200 old forms just as he was about to run out of the initial 1,000 new forms. Mr Laryea said there would be no need for extension since people had been trickling in to register during the last two days.