EC Sued Over Bloated Register
The Brong-Ahafo Regional Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye DC, has sued the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Attorney General’s Department at the Sunyani high court over the EC’s plan to go ahead and use the current voter register, “which is known to be bloated by all standards”, for the 2016 general election.
By the suit, the Commission has 14 days within which to file for appearance or cause to file on its behalf a statement of defence.
In a 10-point relief, the plaintiff is asking the court to declare the current electoral roll bloated; thus, unfit to be used in this year’s elections.
Furthermore, Mr Kwame Baffoe is asking the court to declare the register null and void because it contains names of foreigners, dead persons, minors, persons who used the National Health Insurance cards to register and other persons who are not constitutionally fit to vote in the 2016 elections.
He further states that the five-member committee constituted by the EC and chaired by VCRAC Crabbe to collect views on the voter register constitutes a true reflection of the weaknesses/flaws inherent in the register.
Baffoe is praying the court to place an interim injunction on the EC to restrain its Election Steering Committee recently inaugurated by the defendant from playing any role whatsoever in relation to the impending national elections until the final determination of the suit.
The writ is also asking the court to place an interim injunction on the defendant, her agents, officials or any other person(s) or bodies acting on behalf of it from registering voters or conducting the proposed limited registration of voters slated for 18th March, 2016, until the final determination of the suit.
The plaintiff said his action against the EC is pursuant to Articles 2(1)(b) and 130(1) of the 1992 Constitution – just to make sure the right things are done.
In a statement of claim, the plaintiff said even though the VCRAC Crabbe Committee discovered that the current voter register is bloated and therefore incurably flawed for use in the 2016 general election, the defendant had variously intimated at various forums and in various publications that the bloated and incredible electoral roll would still be used for the elections; hence, his action.
Concern
Meanwhile, a former Chief Director of the Electoral Commission, Kwame Damoah Agyemang, has expressed concern about the attitude of the EC boss, Charlotte Osei, over the electoral process.
Mr Agyemang believes that the actions and inactions of Charlotte Osei clearly demonstrate that she is not in firm control of her job.
The former Chief Director, who had 30 years’ experience with the EC, is of the strong opinion that some hidden hands somewhere are manipulating the Commission’s boss.
“From the look of things, I don’t think she is in firm control. Look at the recent public forum she set up which was chaired by Justice Crabbe to solicit for the views of people as far as the call for a new voter register was concerned.
“Why is it that when the Committee was meeting the stakeholders, you the same Chairperson had to go there and state your case? You have already stated your position so what happens to the solicited views when they are presented to you? It clearly shows that her neutrality is missing,” Mr Agyemang told Fiifi Banson on Kasapa FM yesterday.
According to him, all indications point to the fact that Ms Osei wants to replicate what she did at the Justice Crabbe Committee at the National Election Steering Committee she has set up.
