Five Togolese have been arrested by immigration officers as they attempted exiting the country through the Aflao beach, an unapproved route.
They had obviously entered the country illegally with the intention of registering for a voters’ identification card. One of them succeeded in obtaining the card, which was found in his possession at the time of arrest.
Dayo Yao, 33; Gatago Kudjo, 32; Quist Mawutor, 26; Desouza Theodor, 29, and Gatogo Kudjovi Lenene are currently in the grip of the police.
The possessor of the new voter identification card must have an important story to tell his interrogators. Their identities and motive for wanting foreigners, especially from Togo, to register in the ongoing exercise should provide telltale details of what, without doubt, is a political project being undertaken by yet-to-be identified persons or even group.
So much has been said and written about the brazenness of the Togolese and other nationals. We would have ignored a commentary on the subject having done on umpteenth time but for the national security implication of the activities of the foreigners.
It is critical to find out the persons who stood as guarantors for the Togolese who obviously hoodwinked a registration officer to have his way.
The guarantors must be swiftly arrested and processed quickly after investigations are complete.
Delay in processing suspects in this abuse of our electoral laws can only encourage their compatriots in Togo and elsewhere to attempt acquiring the voter identification card.
Of the many who have been arrested so far, we are yet to read or hear about a prosecution.
Without such a prosecution of the foreigners and their Ghanaian accomplices, more Togolese would make the attempt.
Ghanaians should be told the story of both the guarantors and the suspects in the violation of our electoral laws.
With no end in sight to the continuous influx of Togolese and other nationals into the country because of the voter identification cards, we wish to call for collaboration between the EC and the GIS to deal with the challenge.
That a Togolese would possess both his country’s and Ghanaian voter identification cards points at an ongoing project which, as we pointed out sometime ago, inures to the interest of a grouping in this country.
As something which has gone on for a long time, it is difficult for those who are involved to stop the phenomenon, the benefits too important for them to be ignored.
It is instructive that some GIS officials have been interdicted over their role in this complex project.