Limited voter registration for referendum ongoing smoothly - EC

The Electoral Commission says the ongoing limited voter registration exercise started off on a good note, with only a few challenges.

The exercise which started on Sunday, September 16, 2018, will run through to next week Tuesday, September 25.

It is being conducted only in areas where the referendum for the creation of the six additional regions will be held.

Head of Communications at the Electoral Commission, Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, told Citi News that a disagreement by the Paramount Chief of Chereponi nearly marred the exercise.

He said the Chief had earlier instructed his people not to participate in the exercise for some reasons.

“Reports from all the 47 centres in the demarcated areas started on a good note except Chereponi where during the early hours of Sunday, the Paramount Chief will not allow us to continue with the exercise. But immediately the DISEC met together with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, the exercise continued. Turnout was rather on the low, but by close of day yesterday, some centres had registered as much as 100 applicants who came into to register,” Mr. Dzakpasu added.

EC defies lawsuits

The Electoral Commission started the limited voter registration exercise on Sunday. The exercise forms part of plans towards the upcoming referendum on the creation of six new regions, scheduled for later this year, 2018.

The Electoral Commission has been hit with two different lawsuits challenging the yet-to-be-held referendum for the creation of six additional regions.

A group calling itself Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa as well as three individuals, Mayor Agblexe, Destiny Awlimey, and Jean-Claude Koku Amenyaoglo have dragged the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General to the Supreme Court in two separate suits.

According to the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, the registration exercise is being rolled out despite the recent lawsuits against the Commission on the same matter because the writs had on implication on the exercise.

“With regards to the suit, the service of the writ of summons on us was delivered yesterday [Thursday], but it was not with an implication and therefore it cannot be held binding an effective injunction on the commission. And that is why we are going ahead with the limited registration exercise as planned,” she added.

The Commission is putting processes in place to hold a referendum in parts of the country for the creation of six additional regions following recommendations the Justice Brobbey Commission made to government.

The 19-member Commission after holding nationwide consultations urged government create the administrative regions to be known as Oti, Ahafo, Brong East, Western North, North East and Savanna.

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana

Source: citifmonline.com