Mr. Asante, speaking at the inauguration of the National Commission on Civic Education’s (NCCE) Tema Metro Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC), stressed that “there is no way Madam Jean Mensa can rig or cheat elections; if someone will cheat you, it’s at the polling station.”
He reiterated that elections are won at the polling centres; therefore, it was important that political parties opened their eyes and vigilantly observed the polls at the centres.
“Make sure that those representing you are trustworthy, because once they sign and the result is sent, you can’t say you won’t agree to it,” Mr. Asante advised.
He gave assurance that the EC would not cheat anyone, as all political parties are involved in all electoral processes from the constituency through regional to the national levels.
“So, for the EC to rig elections in Ghana, it’s very difficult because elections are won at the polling stations, and you all have your representatives at the centres, from constituencies to regional centres to nationals, who must confirm the information and data before signing,” he emphasised.
Touching on issues of missing names and wrongful transfers in the voter register, he urged the public, especially the political parties, to have patience and trust in the process, noting that the essence of the exhibition exercise was to bring out such issues for rectification.
Mr. Asante said they were not done yet with the correction revealing that in Tema, they received complaints of some people’s names being excluded from the register; such people, he added, had the inclusion forms filled out, with a follow-up to the district office for it to be added to the register.
He further stated that with those put on the multiple list, they are given the opportunity to protest and taken through the process to add their names to the register.
He observed however that, “unfortunately a lot of people don’t take advantage of this opportunity of the exhibition and the special opportunity; once you avail yourself, we will take you through the court process; unfortunately, a lot of people, when they hear about court, don’t want to continue at all.”
Mr. Asante explained that the simple process involved being arraigned before a magistrate in open court, where the applicant could advance his or her case themselves or involve a lawyer.
The judge, if convinced, would then order the EC to remove the name from the exception or multiple list back into the register.
According to him, the EC was still cleaning the register; therefore, giving out a copy in its current state to the political parties was not ideal, adding that “until we finish with all the court processes, we can’t have a credible register.”
GNA
