The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed serious concerns about irregularities in the 2024 Provisional Voters' Register, following revelations made by the Electoral Commission (EC) at a Special Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held today.
The party's Functional Executive Committee (FEC) issued a statement outlining several key issues identified by the EC during the meeting, which could potentially impact the integrity of the upcoming December 7 general elections.
In the press release signed by General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the NDC highlighted the following admissions by the EC:
The illegal transfer of voters due to the absence of "liveliness test" technology, a lapse which affected constituencies like Pusiga.
Erroneous inclusion of previous transfers in the 2024 transfer list.
The discovery of corrupted files within the Provisional Voters’ Register, which the EC claims to have resolved.
Deleted voters who the EC now plans to include in a separate "Missing Voters" register.
A vulnerable IT system within the Electoral Commission, which is susceptible to data manipulation by individuals with access to login credentials.
Despite these concerns, the NDC stated that it would accept the EC's promise to release an updated version of the Provisional Voters' Register to all political parties for review within one week.
Additionally, the party welcomed the EC's decision to re-exhibit the corrected register but recommended that the re-exhibition be conducted both online and at physical exhibition centers to ensure broad accessibility.
Furthermore, the NDC called for an inter-party and multi-stakeholder audit of the EC's IT system to address the vulnerabilities that have come to light.
According to the NDC, these weaknesses could be exploited by malicious actors, potentially compromising the integrity of the 2024 elections.
"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," the statement warned.
The NDC's demand for a thorough examination of the EC's systems comes amid heightened tensions and concerns over electoral transparency as Ghana approaches its next general elections.
The Electoral Commission has yet to respond publicly to the NDC’s latest demands.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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