Some of the security officers undergoing the voting process at the Effiduase polling station in Koforidua
Majority of the security personnel, especially the police, in the 33 constituencies of the Eastern Region who went to the various polling centres with intent to cast their votes yesterday became very furious with the Electoral Commission (EC).
The reason was that they had their names missing from the Special Voters’ register and accused the EC of deliberately removing them (names).
Some of them who spoke to DAILY GUIDE in Suhum, Koforidua, New Tafo, Kyebi, Kukurantumi and Akosombo said they checked their names during the verification exercise and found their names and so did not understand why the names were not found yesterday.
The angry police officers, including the Eastern Regional Commander, DCOP Peterkin Yentumi and other district commanders in the region who could not vote yesterday noted that they had been disenfranchised.
They said they suspected that the EC replaced the old register with a new one which had their names removed. Some of them also said it was an attempt to rig the election for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
At Affram Plains, almost all the police officers couldn’t find their names and were asked to go to the constituencies where they registered.
Many of the affected persons have threatened to stay away from duty on the day of the general election, claiming that they would go and exercise their franchise.
At the Asuogyaman Constituency, the police and Fire Service officers were visibly angry with officials of the District Electoral Commission when their attention was brought to the fact that their names had been transferred and some omitted from the special voters’ register.
Some of them told DAILY GUIDE that they had to travel all the way to Koforidua to vote.
A female police officer threatened to curse anyone who was doing everything possible to prevent her from voting.
The previous register at Asuogyaman had a total of 779 voters but the new one is over 800.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidates and the Electoral Commission had a different register with different figures as compared to those of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidates in some of the constituencies.
The exercise was generally peaceful, at least as at the time of filing this report.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Kofofriuda