124,561added to voters roll at just concluded EC limited registration exercise in the northern region
As a sign that Ghanaians are prepping for the upcoming general elections in November, 124,561 people, according to the Ghana Electoroal Commission, registered as voters at its just concluded registration exercise. However, out of this huge number of registered voters, 1,969 had their hopes dashed when the EC deemed them ineligible to vote in the northern region.
The exercise which started on 28th April, 2016 ended Sunday 8th May was described by the EC as an opportunity for Ghanaians who turned 18 years and of sound mind the opportunity to register to exercise their right as citizens of a sovereign nation. The commission was expecting to add 1.2 million people to the voters roll.
Speaking to Zaa News, the northern regional director of the Commission, Mr Bruce Ayisi, said committees have been set up after the exercise at the various districts to investigate applicants who were declared ineligible to vote and added that results of the investigations will prove the illegibility or otherwise of the applicants.
He described the exercise, as successful in spite of some few minor issues which were quickly resolved. Commenting on Sunday night’s theft at the EC office in the Savelugu/Nanton municipality, Mr Ayisi dismissed reports that the electoral materials stolen at the commission’s will negatively affect the work of the commission in the just ended limited registration exercise.
The EC office was broken into by unknown men who made away with two system units, two monitors, STL laptop, two keyboards and the technician personal laptop. Mr Ayisi maintained that as far as data is concern, the content of their commission’s data will not in any way be affected in Savelugu. Mr. Ayisi explained that the electoral commission has backups for all their data and other documents.
According to him, the only effect is the fact that important equipment has been stolen but as to its contents, the commission has the equipment at the EC headquarters.
Mr. Ayisi further explained that the computers that were stolen has voter management system (VMS) attached to all of them which is used to transmit data to the national headquarters so data is not stored on the units that were stolen at the district level.
