Deputy EC chair in charge of operations, Samuel Tettey
The Electoral Commission (EC), has indicated that it will not be extending its voter registration exercise.
According to the EC, the 21 days allocated for the exercise is sufficient for the targeted number of new voters to get registered.
The EC was responding to a petition by Nana Kwame Bediako, the Founder of the New Force movement who called for the registration exercise to be extended.
Deputy EC chair, in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, said the registration exercise is expected to last for 21 days to enable all the applicants to register.
He added that given the pace at which the exercise is going and patronage at the centres, the EC does not think there was the need for an extension.
He indicated that the ongoing voter registration exercise has so far been successful despite initial challenges recorded at some centres in the first two days.
“Currently, registration is going on smoothly at all the registration centres including the difficult to access areas and public Universities,” he said.
Speaking at a press briefing at its head office on Tuesday in Accra, Mr. Tettey, said out of the 623,000 projected by the Commission, it has registered 522,025 as of Sunday, May 20, 2024.
He said pursuant to regulation 91 of CI 91, district registration review Committees have however, been constituted in all the districts to examine challenges related to the registration of voters.
He said members of the committee that have started examining the changes include one representative of each political party active in the district, officer of the commission who is secretary to the committee, one representative of the traditional Authority, district commander among others.
He said all the registration centres were also supplied with registration materials in the right quantities which has led to a smooth running of the process with no shortage of materials recorded.
“We have sufficient quantities of materials in place as such, as we approach the final days of the exercise we do not anticipate any shortage in any of our registration centres,” he said.
“The Biometric voter registration kits and the turbo nets devices have functioned efficiently, enough back-ups of BVR kits, we’re delivered to the regional and districts offices to enable registration officers replace faulty BVR kits”.
Mr. Samuel Tettey said Greater Accra has registered 74,420 representing 14.3%, Upper East, 20,135 representing 3.5% with a significant improvement at all the voting centres.
He emphasised that all registration officers, made up of both permanent and temporary staff, have largely been professional, abiding by all their training except one at Pusiga who violated the laws of the Commission.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah