Voter registration: NPP, NDC fight over students

There was chaos at the ongoing limited voter registration exercise at the Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region on Thursday, 27 June 2019.

A clash between supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and supporters of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the registration centre stalled the exercise for three hours.

The supporters were angry about the rate at which the NPP was allegedly bussing senior high school students to the centre to register, resulting in a brawl.

A joint military and police team was deployed to the centre to maintain peace and order.

The Deputy Regional Police Commander (DCOP) Fred Adu Anim, Regional Electoral Commission (EC) boss, Benjamin Bannor-Bio; and representatives of the NPP and NDC groups met to resolve the matter before the exercise resumed.

Both the NPP and NDC signed an undertaken at the meeting that 50 students a day will be bussed from one of the six SHSs in the constituency to register.

They also agreed to dedicate one registration machine to the students each day.

ACP Kwaku Buah, the Manhyia Divisional Police Commander, said both political parties agreed to let peace prevail in the exercise.

The MP for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak, who was at the meeting called for a peaceful exercise.

Mr M. D. Moro, the Asawase constituency chairman of the NPP, entreated his party’s supporters to remain calm and ensure a peaceful exercise.