Politics of Thursday, 12 August 2010

Source: GNA

Exhibition continues to attract low patronage

Sunyani, Aug. 12, GNA - Majority of registered voters in Sunyani are yet to check their names at the exhibition centres, three days after the Electoral Commission(EC) begun the exercise.

The EC opened the voters' register to enable eligible voters to check their names and make corrections when necessary.

Four centres the Ghana News Agency visited in the Sunyani municipality on Wednesday between 1100 hours and 1200 hours were empty with only the exhibition officials at post.

The officials said only a few people turned up in the morning of Monday and Tuesday but their numbers increased in the evenings.

Ms. Sophia Osei, exhibition officer at Nkwabeng Methodist A centre, said only six voters had checked their names as at 1100 hours.

She said 64 voters out of 852 registered voters at the centre had checked their names since the exercise was begun on Monday but expressed optimism that a lot more voters might turn up before Sunday when the exercise would end.

Ms Evelyn Kyerewaa at Nkwabeng Methodist B said only 80 out of 898 registered voters at the centre had checked their names.

At Nkwabeng Presbyterian Junior High School, the official said 55 out of a total of 847 registered voters had so far made the checks.

She said there had not been any complaints by voters at the centre and attributed the low turn out of voters on Wednesday to the day being market day in Sunyani.

Madam Esther Pokuaa at Presbyterian Primary centre said only 17 out of 60 voters had checked their names.

She said people come early in the morning and then in the evenings and that about three voters who visited the centre reported of their missing identity cards.

Mad Pokuaa said the daughter of a deceased voter came to ensure the deletion of her mother's name from the register and attributed the low patronage of the exercise to low publicity given to it.

Abigail Bossman at the Presbyterian Lower Primary School expressed concern about the low patronage of the exercise.

She said 16 out of the 98 registered voters at the centre had checked their names since the exercise begun on Monday and attributed the unimpressive patronage to apathy and low publicity.