The on-going voter transfer exercise by the Electoral Commission, in Binduri, Bawku Central and the Pusiga Constituencies in the Upper East Region has been very peaceful in spite of a few disturbances and misleading stories generated by people believed to be close to the two main political parties in Ghana.
The Bawku Municipal Officer of the Electoral Commission, Owusu Asante confirmed this when DAILY GUIDE got in touch with him.
According to him some people had been denied their wishes, because they did not meet the legal requirement, while those who qualified had their transfers done.
“Some people come and after interrogation, we realised that they do not live in the constituencies they are transferring their votes to. We have taken the pain to advise many of such persons and they understood and left. Many are transferring because their friends and relations are contesting in other constituencies and so want to transfer so they could vote for them, but they don’t qualify. We have been very careful in this Exercise in order to avoid problems on the Election Day,” he explained.
There had been long queues at the forecourt of the Bawku Municipal Assembly where the Commission’s Office is located since the exercise began on September 9, because all interested voters living in the Binduri and Pusiga districts had to travel to Bawku to get their transfers done.
Mr Owusu told the DAILY GUIDE also that a total of 13 persons including 2 independent candidates had picked up nomination forms to contest the Parliamentary Elections in the three Constituencies and were yet to return the completed forms and pay their filing fees.
From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bawku