NPP expresses concern about registration of minors

Tamale, Aug. 1, GNA - The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday expressed concern about the alleged registration of minors in the on-going limited voter registration and acts of violence by some people at registration centres in the Northern Region. It called on the Electoral Commission, the police and leadership of all the political parties in the region to help stop the practice to

ensure the success of the exercise. Mr. John Boadu, National Youth Organizer of the party who was briefing the media in Tamale, said most of the persons in the queues to register were minors. He alleged that a group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) sympathisers thronged the Kalpohin SDA Registration Centre and beat up one Mohammed Abdul Samed, an NPP polling agent, who had challenged the eligibility of some prospective registrants. Mr. Boadu said though the electoral channels of complaint were clear, the supposed NDC sympathisers defied them and beat up Samed until he went into a coma and was rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). He claimed that the NPP suffered the most intimidating presence of NDC supporters who molested and prevented NPP members from exercising their civic rights to register at some polling stations in the 2004 polls, a situation, which he said affected the performance of the party in the region.

"There is a resurgence of such acts in the region and we would not sit down for our rights to trampled upon", he said, and advised party members to remain patient and allow the rule of law to prevail. Mr. Boadu, however, cautioned: "Our tolerance has limit and our youth would not continue to allow themselves to be molested without any cause." Mr. Faisal Gbanjili, Acting Northern Regional Secretary of the party, called on the leadership of all political parties in the region to desist from acts that would derail the purpose of the registration. When the GNA visited the Kalpohin SDA Registration Centre where violence allegedly took place on the first day of the exercise, Mr. Abass Issah, a Registration Centre Officer, confirmed an attack of somebody but could not tell whether or not those who perpetrated the act were NDC members. Mr Issah said because of the confusion, the centre had been shifted close to the State Housing Company (SHC) yard while the police administration had also beefed up security to ensure sanity at the centre.