Deputy Volta Regional Minister did not harass EC officials - NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Volta Region has denied claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that Reverend Johnson Avuletey, Deputy Volta Regional Minister harassed officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) and attempted to disrupt the limited voter registration exercise in the Ketu South Municipality.

In a press release signed by Mr Pope Yevoo, Volta Regional Communication Officer of NPP, the Party said the Deputy Regional Minister during a tour of the registration centre met a “chaotic situation orchestrated by the NDC and their surrogates," which he rather assisted to calm.

It said the purported allegation of intimidation and harassment by the Deputy Regional Minister was just the "case of crying wolf, when there was none."

It admonished the NDC not to assume the role of spokesperson for the EC.

“We, the NPP in the Volta Region by this release are reminding the NDC to live up to the mandate prescribed for an opposition party by providing alternatives”, it said.

"Be reminded that speaking for the EC is not outsourced to your outfit. Or is it the case of crying more than the bereaved," the release asked.

"We have decided to ignore them initially because we have inherited a broke country, which we are fixing but we shall no longer countenance that.

"It won't be business as usual. We shall provide appropriate responses to any unsubstantiated claims made by the NDC."

The NDC in a June 27 press release signed by Mr Bright Kugbeadzor, Deputy Regional Communications Officer alleged that the Deputy Regional Minister, who was in the company of Mr Elliot Agbenorwu, Chief Executive of the Ketu South Municipal Assembly, and Mr Petite Haligah, Ketu South Constituency Chairman of the NPP, “stalled the registration process for over an hour.”

“The Deputy Minister of State and his lieutenants did not understand why newly registered voters would be allowed to guarantee for others to do same even after the Municipal Electoral Officer had taken pains to explain to them that indeed it was a legally acceptable mode of registration, the Deputy Minister would have none of that."