A total of 133 persons in the Ketu South Municipality had their applications challenged in the ongoing voters registration exercise.

The reasons for challenging the applicants include not being a resident or ordinarily resident in the electoral area, below 18 years, impersonation and not a Ghanaian citizen.

Mr Kofi Sakyi Boampong, the Municipal Electoral Officer for Ketu South, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during the District Registration Review Committee (DRCC) sitting at the Municipal Assembly Hall.

The seven-member Committee with representatives from political parties, the clergy, the security, the education sector, chiefs and the Electoral Commission gave out hearing notices to both the affected applicants and their challengers to appear before it to either prove or disprove the challenge.

The Municipal EC Officer said the number represented all the challenged persons at the end of phase three of the ongoing registration exercise in the Constituency, which saw 53,666 applicants issued with the cards.

“The number of people appearing before the DRRC for hearing from the previous registration exercise (phase three) is 46. Earlier, we had 21 and 66 challenge forms from the first and second batches of phase one respectively,” Mr Boampong explained.

Torgbui Nyuiemedzi Anubo IV, Chairman of the Committee, explained that per the rules, persons cleared of the charges against them got back their voter cards whereas those who could not disprove the allegations against them had theirs withheld.

Master Caleb Akue, an applicant, being challenged for not residing in the electoral area, came with his mother, whom he lives with and who successfully registered for her voter card, to testify before the Committee as proof that “I’m actually a resident of the area and not forging it.”