Arrange for Ghanaians trapped behind Leklebi-Kame border post to register - Togbe Afede appeals to EC

The President of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV has appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to make a special arrangement for those Ghanaians trapped behind the gate of the immigration control post at Leklebi-Kame to register to vote.

The post is situated some 300 metres away from the actual boundary between Ghana and Togo.

As a result of the closure of the country’s borders, those people on Ghanaian soil can neither cross the gate and enter the main Leklebi-Kame community nor enter Togo any longer.

Subsequently, they could not take part in the just-ended voters registration exercise.

In an interview at the weekend, Togbe Afede, who is Agbogbomefia of Asogli, described the situation as very sad and unjust.

“Apart from losing their right to register to vote, Ghanaian children can no longer cross the barrier to go to school, while mothers cannot cross to grind their maize and farmers cannot access their farms,” he said.

Togbe Afede pointed out that the eligibility of those Ghanaians was not in doubt, for which reason they must not be disenfranchised.

He said that the EC could make arrangements through its district offices to enable those people from Leklebi-Kame and other Ghanaians caught up in similar situations in their own country to register to vote.

The President of the National House of Chiefs also appealed to the Ghana Immigration Service to take urgent steps to move the immigration control post from the Leklebi-Kame community to the actual boundary between the two countries, to avoid such cruel situations in future.

Togbe Afede’s appeal comes a week after he led a delegation of members of the Volta Region House of Chiefs to tour some border communities in the region while the voters registration exercise was in progress.