Public Rights Worker oppose to non-Ghanaians registering as Ghanaians

Ho, Jan 25, GNA - Mr Kofi Tenasu Gbedemah, a Public Rights Worker has called for more purposeful inter-agency efforts to prevent non-Ghanaians from registering as voters.

He said birth certificates and other evidence of nationality and naturalisation could be demanded for the exercise.

Mr Gbedemah was speaking at the inauguration of the Ho Municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) in Ho on Tuesday.

Mr Ohene Frimpong, Ho-Central Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) expressed the need for non-Ghanaians to be barred from enlisting on the electoral roll.

Mr Emmanuel Abeam Danso, Municipal Director of the Electoral Commission observed that some political parties often hatch the registration of unqualified people and other misdeeds when they considered it favourable to do so.

He said Ghanaians can take advantage of the registration of protests at the polling stations to prevent non-indigenes from the registration exercise and follow it up with proof before a committee.

Mr Danso said the first-past-the-post and winner-takes-all system of representation in politics in Ghana might be reason for the sometimes frenzied nature of politicking in country.

Mr Kenneth Kponor, Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), under whose aegis the IPDC would work said it is important for peace to prevail in the period of campaigning for the December 7 General Election, on the polling day and after the polls.

He advised politicians, their supporters and party activists against mudslinging and destructive criticism.

Mr Kponor cautioned the media against tendentious stories.

“Let us safeguard the image of the country in the eyes of the international community as the haven of peace,” he stressed.

He said power should not be won through intimidation while the national interest must supersede all other interests.

An Executive Committee of 25 members was selected with Togbe Atsridom V, Paramount Chief of Kpedze as Chairman and the Vice President referred as Mr Gbedemah.

Mr Stanley Glate, Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ho-Central Constituency is Secretary while Mr Paul Aba, Electoral and Research Officer of the (NPP Ho-Central Constituency is Organiser.

Mr Glate said the rivalry between the NPP and the NDC is the main cause of the problems in the nation’s political landscape, adding that if the two parties champion peace “half of the work is done”.

The committee, which would operate till January next year went into a session soon after the inauguration ceremony to draw the first quarter action plan to permeate its coverage area with the message of peace.

The coverage area spans the Ho-West and Ho-Central constituencies.

Mr Prosper Afealete, NCCE Municipal Area Programmes Officer in a lecture listed distribution of money and gifts, declaration of election results by political parties, superimposing of posters, defacing of posters and biased media reportage as some of the electoral violations, which should be monitored by the committee.