You have no option but to extend deadline for re-registration - NPP to EC

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samuel Payne says if the Electoral Commission (EC) fails to extend the days for the re-registration exercise, he will have no option than go back to the Supreme Court to compel the EC to extend the days.

The EC says it will not extend the deadline for the re-registration exercise despite revealing that only 24, 287 of the deleted NHIS registrants, were re-registered during the 10-day exercise, as part of the voters’ register exhibition exercise.

According to the Commission there is no indication that people are coming to turn up for the re-registration even if they should extend the days.

Addressing the press last week [Friday], the EC’s Communications Director, Eric Dzakpasu, stated that “there is no evidence that when an extension is granted, the remaining people will come out of their houses or communities to get their name re-registered.”

But Sam Payne in an interview with Nyankonton Mu Nsem rubbished the claims by the EC stating that they have enough evidence to refute those claims.

He noted that the actions and inaction of the EC prevented a lot of the NHIS registrants from re-registering. He was of the view that the EC could have ended the exercise on August 7, 2016 just like the ongoing exhibition exercise.

''We are the ones who go to polling stations and i can tell you that the EC failed to publicize the re-registration exercise...'Dumsor' and some other technical challenges affected the smooth flow of the re-registration and i think it would be prudent for the EC to consider the call for an extension.'' Sam Payne revealed that they have petitioned the EC and are hopeful that their plea would be considered.

However if the EC refuse to extend the days, i will have no option than to go back to court.