The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), has said an action by the Electoral Commission and the Ghana Police Service to add some more names to the already approved special voters’ list, is a recipe for chaos.
According to the party, the decision to allow some Police recruits and officers onto the list over the weekend, is unlawful and must not be allowed.
This follows a Police memo sighted by Citi News which suggests that the Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the Electoral Commission (EC), have embarked on an exercise to add the names of more Police officers and recruits to the special voters’ list.
The memo, which was written by the Director General of Police Service, COP Christian Tetteh Yohunu on behalf of the IGP, instructed all Divisional Commanders, all Regional Commanders, and all Commanders in charge of Police Training Schools to key in the names of Police officers whose names are not on the special voters’ register.
It also directed the aforementioned commanders, especially the commanders of the Police Training Schools, to make sure that all recruits have their names on the special voters’ list.
In a Citi News interview, the Policy Adviser of the PPP, Kofi Asamoah Siaw, said the exercise violates the law governing the conduct of the 2016 election, C. I 94, which orders the EC not to accept applications for the special voters, not later than 42-days before the elections.
“What the EC is doing is illegal and it is an ambush; and that is the argument I’ve always been making that at the end of the day, we’ll need to comply with the regulations of C.I.94; Because if things that are unknown are introduced during the process of voting; you are only providing opportunities for people to rig the elections. So that is what is happening, so it is unfortunate that the referee is not complying with its own rules and regulations, and it is surprising everybody. What is the biggest surprise that is laid down for the political parties as we reach the final stages of the competition?”
Mr. Siaw also called on stakeholders to speak against the move and also call the Electoral Commission to order.
“I think that the chief stakeholders in this country instead of organizing peace summit for us to speak to the people and assure peace, must talk to the EC chairperson to respect the people of Ghana, the political parties and the stakeholders, so that they comply with the law.”
“The last group of institution to commit and conspire with the EC to violate the regulation, should be the Ghana Police service. If you didn’t have the list, that should be the end, the door is shut, changes should not be allowed.
There is lack of certainty in this process, if you do that, you are sowing seeds for chaos to happen. You don’t go and do clandestine moves, hold caucuses with security agencies among others,” he added.
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