'Crack the whip' on anyone who engages in registration criminal offense – CODEO

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has urged security agencies in the country to ensure they deal with anyone who engages in “registration criminal offense”.

According to CODEO, though the security agencies did their best in quelling the chaos and skirmishes which characterized the first phase of the Electoral Commission's Limited Biometric Voter registration exercise, they need to “intensify their surveillance” as the second phase of the exercise moves to its completion.

This was contained in the recommendation of CODEO’s 2nd Situational Report on the On-going Limited Biometric Voter Registration Exercise.

Touching on some of the incidents, CODEO said it observed that some persons wielding: “Cutlasses, stones, cudgels and other offensive weapons” wounded one person in Kukuom-Achiase Registration Center in the Asunafo North District of the Brong Ahafo Region.

The report also said: “Unauthorized party supporters and members of the public” loitered around registration centers in different parts of the country” to serve as guarantors for registrants who share party affinity.

CODEO maintained many of the things which took place at some of the registration centers could have been avoided had political parties and the public obeyed the law governing the exercise.

It called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to monitor its team of registration officials to ensure that their conduct does not foment trouble at those centers.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | Email: [email protected]