Shortage of registration questionnaire creates confusion

Tema, Aug. 13, GNA - The serene atmosphere during the registration exercise in Tema Metropolis was nearly marred on the last day when over 50 eligible voters challenged registration officers over the shortage of questionnaires. The eligible voters aged above 21 years insulted and threatened to beat up the officials at Twedaase JHS centre when they were told only people aged between 18 and 20 years would be registered due to shortage of the questionnaires. Eligible voters above 20 years who had not registered in previous exercises were required to fill a questionnaire to enable them register.

At about 1225 hours when Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the centre, the registration officials for fear of their lives had packed the registration materials and distanced themselves from the angry crowd.

Mr Samuel Commodore, Registration Officer at the centre explained that even though there were enough registration forms, officials decided to register only people aged between 18 and 20 since the questionnaires for those above 20 years were finished noting that it was an offence to register them without answering the questions. Meanwhile, the usual long queues observed during the initial 11-day exercise reduced on the last day of the two days extension even though some centres registered people without pictures due to shortage of photo films. Mr Michael Mensah, Registration Officer at Saint John Methodist School centre at Tema Manhean said EC had contracted a mobile photography firm to take pictures of those who registered and a date for the exercise would be announced later. Registration Officers at Ashaiman Government School, Agyiri Nyarko school and Saint Augustine Catholic Church centres said more than 1,500, 2,000 and 1,400 eligible voters respectively were registered without photographs. They contended that most of them had lost their registration slips therefore they were advised not to misplace the slips because their photographs would not be taken without the slips. The officials said registration forms sent to the centres during the last two days had no serial numbers and they had to waste time to number them before registering eligible voters. 13 Aug. 08