Electoral register brouhaha: NDC succumbs to EC’s “sweet talks”

The largest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has finally succumbed to the electoral management body, the Electoral Commission’s (EC) pledged to furnish all political parties with an updated version of the 2024 Provisional Voters Register (PVR) for scrutiny within one week.

The NDC’s decision to succumbed to the EC’s pledge, according to the NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, was to give the electoral management body the benefit of doubt to present them with the corrected PVR even though their demand for a forensic audit of the voter register was not accepted by the commission.

The EC Chairperson, Mrs. Jean Mensah gave the assurance at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

The NDC also welcomed the EC’s decision to re-exhibit the updated PVR.

In a statement issued and signed by Mr. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the NDC recommended conducting the re-exhibition exercise both online and offline at exhibition centres.

The largest opposition party further demanded a multi-stakeholder and interparty examination of the Electoral Commission’s IT system.

“With this background, the Functional Executive Committee of the NDC has deliberated and decided to accept the EC’s promise to release to political parties, the corrected/updated version of the 2024 Provisional Voters Register for scrutiny within one week.

FEC further welcomes the decision by the Electoral Commission to re-exhibit the updated Provisional Voters’ Register.

We however recommend that the re-exhibition exercise should be conducted online and offline at the exhibition centres.

Additionally, the NDC demands a multi-stakeholder and interparty examination of the IT system of the Electoral Commission with the aim of addressing the vulnerabilities that the EC itself has admitted to, which vulnerabilities led to several of the anomalies we have raised. Clearly, the vulnerabilities in the IT system of the Electoral Commission can be exploited by criminals to compromise the integrity of the December 07, 2024 elections if not addressed.” Portions of the statement read.

Read below the statement by the NDC

PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release

01/10/2024

NDC POSITION ON MATTERS ARISING FROM IPAC, RELATIVE TO THE 2024 PROVISIONAL VOTERS’ REGISTER.

Following the Special Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Meeting held today, Tuesday, 1st October 2024, to deliberate on the 2024 Provisional Voters Register, the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress deems it fit to restate the following significant admissions by the Electoral Commission of Ghana:

* Illegal transfer of voters due to the lack of a liveliness test technology, as occured in Pusiga and other Constituencies,

* Erroneous addition of previous transfers to the current 2024 transfer list?

* Presence of corrupted files in the 2024 Provisional Voters’ Register, which the Commission claims have been rectified and restored,

* Deleted voters who the Commission wishes to place on a Missing Voters register, and

* A vulnerable EC IT system that is susceptible to data manipulation and infiltration from officials and non-officials of the Electoral Commission who have access to login credentials.

With this background, the Functional Executive Committee of the NDC has deliberated and decided to accept the EC’s promise to release to political parties, the corrected/updated version of the 2024 Provisional Voters Register for scrutiny within one week.

FEC further welcomes the decision by the Electoral Commission to re-exhibit the updated Provisional Voters’ Register. We however recommend that the re-exhibition exercise should be conducted online and offline at the exhibition centres.

Additionally, the NDC demands a multi-stakeholder and interparty examination of the IT system of the Electoral Commission with the aim of addressing the vulnerabilities that the EC itself has admitted to, which vulnerabilities led to several of the anomalies we have raised. Clearly, the vulnerabilities in the IT system of the Electoral Commission can be exploited by criminals to compromise the integrity of the December 07, 2024 elections if not addressed.

SIGNED.
FIFI FIAVI KWETEY
GENERAL SECRETARY