A former Deputy Information Minister in the Mahama administration has said the just-ended Voters’ registration exercise was a waste of time and resources.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu said the outcome of the exercise doesn’t justify the intent touted by the Electoral Commission.
“This has been one big waste of everybody’s time and resources that are scarce and that we could have used to do more useful things for this country.”
“The outcome of the registration exercise shows that the decision to compile the new register does not make any more sense now than it made when the idea was first mooted,” he said.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Thursday, he argued that the Commission did not achieve anything new with this process.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu believes the EC’s decision to conduct the exercise was politically influenced.
“They were carrying out the wishes of the NPP which for some reason had been under the misguided belief that once they were in power they could manipulate the process and have a register that they can control. With the view to suppressing votes in NDC strongholds.”
“That for me bluntly speaking was the main driver of the decision to register. All the excuses and claims that were made have turned out to be untrue,” he said.
He stated that the fact that the same issues such as minors and foreigners being registered had reoccured shows that no measures were put in place to eradicate them.
“Whereas the EC claimed they were doing this to clean the register, they did not have a system that was going to ensure that. Essentially, we are placing more confidence in the word of mouth as opposed to an authentic document produced by established state institutions,” he noted.
The EC has said there are minors and foreigners among the 16.9 million persons it has so far registered to vote on December 7.
The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa who made the revelation said, measures are in place to clean up the register before the December polls.
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Source: JoyOnline