Tamale: EC accuses political parties of registering minors

The office of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the Tamale Metropolis is expressing grave concern over what it says are attempts by political parties to include unqualified voters in the register.

The Tamale Metro Director of the Commission, Bismark Nteh, bemoaned that despite multiple discussions with political parties to discourage this illegal activity, it has proven to be unsuccessful.

Mr. Nteh is worried that this practice may have consequences for the applicants in the future when their falsified ages work against them. He, therefore, advised parents to prevent their children from such acts.

“I will plead with parents that they shouldn’t allow political parties to deceive them, that because they want a number of people to register, indeed they will have the number, these children are going to suffer in future. One day they will need their actual ages for something and it will affect them,” the Tamale Metro Director of the Electoral Commission in the Northern Region said.

In a related development, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has laid the blame for disruptions during the ongoing limited voter registration process squarely on the Electoral Commission.

This accusation comes in the wake of an alleged attack on citizens who had gathered to register for their Voter ID Cards at the Okaikwei North District office of the Electoral Commission in Achimota on Sunday morning.

During an interview with Citi News, Gregory Quarshie, NDC Constituency Chairman for Okaikwei North, stressed the vital importance of ensuring that electoral processes are well-prepared and efficient.

Such preparations are essential to maintaining a secure and seamless environment, allowing citizens to exercise their democratic rights.

“This is an artificial problem created by the EC, because people come there early, and they don’t get to be registered on time, the entire EC must be blamed,” the NDC Constituency Chairman for Okaikwei North said.

However, the Greater Accra Regional Branch of NDC, says it has resolved to transport persons who are unable to easily access centres.

According to the Regional Chairman, Emmanuel Nii Ashie-Moore the move has become necessary to ensure that many within the party who have attained 18 years and above are registered.

This follows a call by some political parties to the EC to increase the number of centres for the voter registration exercise scheduled for September 12 to October 2, 2023.

They argued that the 268 EC district offices earmarked for the exercise were not enough.