Voter registration: Eastern Regional NDC warns against thuggery

Eastern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jamal Konneh, has called on all stakeholders to ensure the peaceful registration of new voters in the limited registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC), which starts on Tuesday, May 7.

According to him, the party will take action against any attempt to disrupt and suppress votes in its strongholds.

The Regional Secretary stressed the significance of the exercise for the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections, stating that the NDC in the region takes the process seriously. “We will ensure that all qualified young voters are registered freely, without fear or intimidation,” he said.

During an interview with the media at a training workshop in Suhum for constituency secretaries and deputies of the party in the region, Jamal Konneh highlighted the importance of the registration exercise and the NDC’s commitment to protecting the voting rights of first-time voters.

“This limited registration is a very important aspect of the elections, and we are not taking it lightly,” Konneh remarked. “We did our best last year, but this year we may go beyond what we did last year.”

The Regional Secretary expressed concerns about the EC’s decisions regarding the selection of difficult-to-reach areas.

“We have a little disagreement with them when it comes to areas they chose as difficult to reach,” he said. “At least they should have decided that with us, the political parties; that is the only issue we have with them.”

He also issued a warning to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against deploying thugs to specific areas in the region, mentioning locations such as Asuogyaman, Adeiso, Ayensuano, and Upper Manya Krobo.

“We want them to know that they don’t have a monopoly over thuggery,” Konneh cautioned.

The Electoral Commission of Ghana faced major technical challenges in September 2023 during a similar exercise due to malfunctioning biometric registration devices, network challenges, and a decision by the commission to limit the exercise to its District Offices, which led to overcrowding and made the exercise stressful for applicants.

Former Eastern Regional chairman of the NDC, Bismark Tawiah Boateng, called on the constituency executives of the party to take the entire electoral process very seriously to ensure no qualified applicant is left behind.

He said some constituencies in the region with a close margin of victory must work extra hard to ensure the gap is widened.

Various facilitators and experts were present at the workshop to provide valuable capacity-building to the participants of the workshop.