Voter registration: Dozens disqualified in Asuogyaman for failing residency test, Pius goes berserk

Dozens of alleged non-residents who were bused to the Asuogyaman constituency in the Eastern Region from the Volta Region to register have been disqualified by the District Registration Review Committee of the Electoral Commission.

These individuals failed to prove their residency by not being able to identify major landmarks or provide relevant information about the communities they claimed to reside in.

The disqualified applicants were primarily challenged by agents of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who suspected that the individuals were not genuine residents but had been transported to the area to register.

The committee disqualified about 23 applicants and confiscated their voter ID cards which led to outrage from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate, Pius Enam Hadzide.

Hadzide, who is also the CEO of the National Youth Authority, accused the committee chairman, Nana Asare Akowua (III), Krontihene of Akwamu Traditional Area, and other committee members including the Police of bias and bribery.

These allegations were not taken lightly, leading to Pius Enam Hadzide being summoned by the committee.

Pius Hadzide later apologized for his comments, stating that he made the accusations in jest.

The registration of new voters commenced on May 7, 2024, and is scheduled to close on May 27, 2024.

Despite calls for an extension of the exercise owing to challenges encountered during the early stages of the registration, Mr. Samuel Tettey, Deputy EC Chair in Charge of Operations, said the 21-day period allotted for the exercise is sufficient.

He noted that while the first week saw large queues at some registration centres, the numbers have decreased significantly an indication that many qualified applicants willing to register have been captured.