The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has formally petitioned Parliament, demanding a bipartisan forensic audit of the voter register ahead of the 2024 elections.
Led by the party’s Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC submitted their petition following a nationwide demonstration on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.
The party is calling for urgent action to address discrepancies in the provisional voter register, which they claim could undermine the integrity of the December 7 general elections.
The petition was delivered to the Speaker of Parliament after the NDC’s leadership and supporters marched through the streets in protest, under the theme “Enough is Enough.”
The protest saw participation from Members of Parliament and supporters across all 16 regions, with demonstrators carrying placards with messages such as “Audit the Voters Register Now,” and “EC Must Serve the People, Not the Corrupt NPP.”
The Ghana Police Service provided security throughout the peaceful protest.
In the petition, General Secretary Franklin Fifi Kwetey outlined several demands aimed at ensuring transparency and restoring public confidence in the electoral process.
These include:
Bipartisan oversight: The NDC calls for Parliament to approve an independent forensic audit of the voter register, focusing on the conduct of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Immediate publication of findings: Once the audit is complete, the NDC demands that the results be made public.
Re-exhibition of the voter register: The audited register should be re-exhibited to allow public verification of its accuracy.
Correction of unauthorized transfers: A review of unauthorized voter transfers is essential, with corrections made to safeguard the integrity of the register.
Prevention of future unauthorized transfers: Immediate measures should be taken to prevent such transfers from occurring again.
Refined electoral timetable: The NDC requests that the EC adopt a revised timetable for electoral activities to ensure a smooth process.
Emergency stakeholders meeting: The EC should convene an urgent meeting with political parties, civil society groups, and international bodies, including the EU, UNDP, and USAID, to discuss the forensic audit and provide collective oversight of the electoral process.
Improved accountability at the EC: The party stresses the need for enhanced transparency and integrity measures within the EC to prevent future manipulation of the voter register.
The Majority and the Minority leaders jointly received the petition on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin and assured the petition would be presented to the Speaker for deliberation.
Majority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin praised the NDC for taking a democratic route to address their concerns, describing the demonstration and petition as “one of the best ways to enrich our democracy.”
“We thank you very much for this opportunity. I just want to say one more thing. We have a lot of fans here. But now, we have come here to receive your petition. I believe that this is one of the several ways of enriching our democracy. So, I agree with the minority that it is up to us.
“We have to look at the issues presented. And I believe it is possible to also appeal to the rest of us. I just want to say that it is a record of how difficult it is for the Supreme Court to stop the whole press assembly for some irregularities and inequalities. I made my case at the Supreme Court. That is a matter of law. And I believe that if there are genuine questions, we can all raise them and discuss them on the table,” Hon Afenyo-Markin said.
Minority Leader Dr. Cassel Ato Forson emphasized the importance of safeguarding the integrity of Ghana’s democratic process, stating, “We cannot allow the Electoral Commission to undermine the democracy of our republic. Unfortunately, this situation is coming at a time that parliament is at risk. I strongly believe that it is essential that we will enact an emergency report on parliament. This is still one of them.
“The minority will immediately convene a caucus meeting and consider the need to report to parliament to address this issue. We consider this as a legacy. And just like my colleagues have done in the past, we will do similar by reforming parliament to address the very concerns that you have raised,” the Minority Leader said.
The NDC has raised serious concerns about the credibility of the current register, arguing that it poses a significant risk to the fairness of the upcoming elections. They expect Parliament to take swift action on these demands to ensure a credible electoral process.
