Some supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper West Region, have burnt lorry tyres at the Upper West Regional Electoral Commission (EC) office, while their leader presented an electoral petition to the Commission.
The presentation of the petition was to climax a protest by the party against the EC, regarding the conduct of the 2024 general election dubbed “Enough is Enough”.
Scores of party members and sympathisers together with some NDC Parliamentarians wearing red and black attires and bandanas, walked from the Ministries along the JJ Rawlings’ Street through the central business district with heavy security escort, to the EC’s office at Sombo, a suburb of Wa.
Dr Hassan Rashid Pelpuo, the Member of Parliament for the Wa Central Constituency, read the petition on behalf of the party.
The petition raised concerns about alleged discrepancies in the Provisional Voters Register (PVR), including claims of unauthorised voter transfers, missing and deleted voter data, untraceable transfer paths, and corrupt files with missing names and photographs of registered voters.
It alleged for instance that the NDC, had evidence of 243,540 illegal voter transfers in the 2024 PVR, including repeated transfers without the knowledge of the affected voters, while names of 3,957 voters who registered in 2023 had been deleted from the 2024 register without valid justification.
It was noted that 2,094 voters were transferred to different polling stations, but this did not reflect in the “Absent Voter List,” while 15,000 cases of untraceable voter registration paths were identified.
The petition called on the EC to address the alleged discrepancies in the PVR including an independent forensic audit of the voter’s register and the Information Technology (IT) system of the Commission.
It said that it would help restore public confidence in the electoral process and ensure transparency, credibility and fairness of the electoral procedure.
“The NDC believes that these unresolved issues can undermine the fairness and credibility of the upcoming elections,” it said.
The NDC in the petition, also demanded the EC to convene stakeholders for collaboration on ensuring a smooth electoral process; re-exhibit the register after the forensic audit; review and correct all unauthorised transfers; adopt a revised timeline for electoral activities and institute accountability and integrity measures for the election.
The petition said the forensic audit was a vital step towards restoring public confidence, ensuring transparency, and upholding the democratic principles of the country.
Mr Osman Ali, the Upper West Regional Director of the EC, received the petition on behalf of the Commissioner.
He assured the petitioners of transmitting the petition to the EC headquarters for the necessary actions to be taken.
