Provide More Details About Upcoming Biometric Registration Exercise

THE OPPOSITION New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to provide more details about the upcoming biometric registration exercise to clear up doubts in the minds of voters. Sunyani West NPP Constituency Chairman, Evans Kusi Boadum who made the appeal told DAILY GUIDE many Ghanaians still do not know much about the impending exercise because the EC has not been forthright about certain pertinent issues surrounding it. �We do not even know the details of the registration duration or the acquisition of enough funds for sufficient equipment and materials� he said warning the EC to ensure there are no shortages of registration materials in some regions and constituencies with others having them in excess. It is good news that Ghana�s electoral system is being reformed by introducing biometric registration to replace the existing voters� register which is considered to be over bloated with ghost names. �What is worrying is the way and manner Dr. Afari Gyan and his team are going about the process with less than 10 months to the general elections yet they keep telling Ghanaians they are ready to organize and supervise free, fair and credible elections come December 7 or earlier,� he said Speaking from his US base, Mr. Boadum said even though every Ghanaian of voting age and sound mind has a role to play to ensure incident-free elections, the onus lies on the EC to compile a credible and reliable voter�s register. He said it is regrettable that EC Chairman, Dr Afari Gyan, has not still been able to tell when and where his outfit is going to hold trial biometric registration exercises or when his outfit is going to fix any problems before the actual registration begins asking �how long does the commission want to keep Ghanaians in suspense over the details and dates of zoning or �phases�?� �I want to appeal to Dr Afari Gyan and his team that time is not on their side to delay any process leading to the elections in December. Many Ghanaians in the Diaspora have the desire to travel home to register. Let everybody know without further delay your zoning details to help Ghanaians worldwide interested in the biometric registration organize themselves on time for the journey,� he said. Mr. Boadum expressed concern about the posture of the EC chairman regarding his position on the verification aspect of the biometric registration. He added that Dr Afari Gyan must yield to calls for regular IPAC meetings to deliberate on the concerns of political parties towards free, fair and peaceful elections otherwise it will give credence to fears by Ghanaians abroad that all is not well with the EC.