Mahama suspends campaign to tackle ‘anomalies’ in EC register

Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has put his nationwide campaign tour on hold, citing the growing complaints by members of the NDC of their names missing from the new voter register.

The former president was in the Bono Region at the start of a four-day campaign tour, having ended his tour of the Bono East Region over the weekend.

But reports are rife that names of members of the NDC are missing from the electoral roll which is undergoing exhibition across the country.

The exhibition began on Friday, September 18 and it is expected to end on Friday, September 25.

But just a day into the exercise, the NDC Member of Parliament for Ashaiman Constituency, Ernest Henry Norgbey, accused the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) of exclusion of over 21,000 names from the register in his constituency.

He said even his name was missing from the register.

The EC, however, debunked this and emphasised that the lawmaker’s name was captured in the register and said the figure by the MP is being exaggerated.

Mr Norgbey, who recently demanded information from the EC based on the Right To Information Act, asked the EC to provide the register for him to prove that names of his supporters are missing from the register.

“At the close of the registration, all the political parties were very much aware, including the Electoral Commission in Ashaiman, that we have registered over 167,000 people so where are those 7,000 people,” he said on TV3‘s Midday Live on Sunday, September 20.

“Where are we going to get them. In any case, how did the [EC] manage to get the 14,000 people back on the register.”

The NDC on Monday, September 21 raised similar issues and demanded an extension of the exhibition period.

But its leader, John Dramani Mahama, has weighed into this and is on his way back to Accra to address the media on the issue.

According to TV3‘s Bono Region correspondent, Mr Mahama said he suspects “foul play” in the raging matter.