Report by Bernard K DADZIE and Nana POKU
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has addressed the concerns of the National Democratic Congress's (NDC) regarding
the 2024 Provisional Voters Register, labeling their agitation as "needless, deceptive, and mischievous."
During a press conference, the General Secretary of the NPP Lawyer Justin Frimpong Koduah questioned the NDC's
refusal to submit evidence of alleged irregularities to the Electoral Commission (EC), citing existing electoral laws
that provide mechanisms for resolving discrepancies.
Koduah referenced the Constitutional Instrument on the Registration of Voters, C.I. 91, as amended by C.I. 127,
which addresses errors, omissions, and corrections to the register.
The NPP challenged the NDC to provide evidence of alleged irregularities, discrepancies, and manipulation of the
provisional register, emphasizing that existing laws offer a clear pathway for resolving concerns.
The NDC had demanded an independent forensic audit of the register, citing alarming irregularities and
discrepancies.
According to General Secretary, the Electoral Commission had requested the NDC to furnish details of the
discrepancies, but the NDC has yet to submit the information.
The party cautioned the public against the NDC's "crafted false narrative" of an opposition party being cheated by a
state-controlled electoral body. They emphasized the shared responsibility of ensuring a credible register,
referencing the 2015 V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe-led Panel's report.
The General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong vehemently disagreed with the stance of the NDC on the issues they
have raised against the provisional register exhibited by the Electoral Commission of Ghana recently.
Reading a press statement at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Accra, the GS alluded to the fact that
issues with voters register are nothing new.
He however stated that whenever concerns are raised, there are avenues to resolve them, but not through civil
disobedience, describing recent demonstrations much ado about nothing.
According to him, the NDC is wickedly preparing the minds of innocent Ghanaians against their imminent loss in
the forthcoming general elections.
So that in the event of losing the elections, then they will throw in this spurious argument to spice up their case.
"They know they will lose the impending elections, so they want to throw dust into our eyes to present a case of no
evidence to create commotion and confusion,” Mr. Kodua Frimpong stated.
“We of the NPP don't support their course because there are channels to address any issue with the register. There's
no need for the forensic audit because the issue can be resolved at IPAC. They should, therefore, allow the Electoral
Commission to do its work without any impediment as granted by the Constitution," the NPP stated
The General Secretary said the NDC has catalogued a series of flaws in the register they have purportedly spted but
has failed to prove them with watertight evidence but are only blowing hot air.
The Scribe alluded to the fact that they in NPP also had done similar demonstration but provided evidence. He stated
that as a result, the NDC then in power sought to protect the EC and asked them to leave the EC alone to do its
constitutional work.
Videos of former president and some top executives stoutly defending the then EC were shown to the newsmen to
make their judgment.
JFK then put a question to the NDC top echelons as to what has really changed, hence their current posture.
“They should rather allow the independent EC they protected in 2015 to do its work without any hindrance, as was
the case then,” he said.
Expatiating further, the Scribe intimated that all over the world, there are problems with voters' registers because no
one can have a full-proof, faultless register no matter how hard you may try.
He indicated that no one can remove all ghost names and address all the issues in there, some of which are not
deliberate but purely human errors before elections.
"Once the EC has promised to produce a credible register, it behooves the parties to hold on until the final register is
given out to the parties to scrutinize. If after the final register there are these same perceived flaws, then it may call
for concern,” he stated.
