The Electoral Commission (EC) is strongly pushing back at claims that it has ambushed political parties when it resorted to offline registration after its internet connection failed in the ongoing limited registration exercise in the country.

According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the EC on Monday surreptitiously reverted to the offline registration during the exercise without informing the political parties—NDC, NPP, CPP among others.

“If everyone could regularly predict that our internet system is not reliable but the EC insisted it means they have an agenda,” the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, Kwame Zuh told Francis Abban on Morning Starr.

“Yesterday the EC ambushed us. They decided to use the offline system without informing any of the stakeholders.”

He added that the party would not countenance the use of the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs), saying “It’ll not be acceptable by any of our agents across the country.”

In its response, the EC reminded the NDC that it cannot determine to it the mode of registration.

“Political parties do not determine the mode of registration and it is one thing the NDC should get clear. We have a backup which is an offline system and so when we have challenges we can switch to that platform,” the Ashanti Regional Director of the EC, Benjamin Bioh said.

Bioh, who was also speaking on the Morning Starr, told host Francis Abban the claims by the NDC are disingenuous saying, “Before we switched to the offline system, the agents of all political parties were informed.”

The General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh said there are issues and challenges with the exercise but the “EC is attending to it and we must support and encourage that.”