NPP abandons push for new voters’ register

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it has halted its push for a new voters’ register prior to the 2016 polls. The largest opposition party had for months led a campaign for a review of the country’s electoral roll.

At a presentation at the Alisa Hotel in August 2015 to back its case, the party’s Vice Presidential Candidate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia indicated, among others that, NPP’s investigation had revealed more than 76,000 foreigners particularly Togolese had their names on the register.

An eminent panel of experts chaired by former Electoral Commissioner VCRAC Crabbe was subsequently set up to look into the matter.

The committee’s report rejected the call for a new register. After this development, the NPP held a major press conference addressed by its campaign manager, Peter Mac Manu, questioning the committee’s decision.

The party vowed to go all lengths to ensure a new register was compiled before the crucial polls this year. “We have a Plan B,” Mr. Mac Manu said at the time. But speaking to 3FM’s Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah on Wednesday, August 10, Acting General Secretary John Boadu says, “As we speak now it is not even practical and possible to ask the EC to compile a new register”.

“We felt and still believe that the register is still bloated. We didn’t get that because of the EC’s attitude and that of their spokespersons. We are looking at 2020.”

But a key question is, is the NPP willing to accept an election conducted on the same register it raised concerns about? “We did what is appropriately right for this country to have a register that has integrity for all of us.

The EC in its own wisdom decided not to. So that’s where we are now,” John Boadu, who is the National Organiser of the party, indicated.