Limited Registration: Ashanti, Greater Accra, Northern regions registered more

Three regions namely the Ashanti, Greater Accra, and the Northern regions recorded the highest number of registrants at the just ended Electoral Commission (EC)’s Limited voter registration exercise.

According to the EC’s provisional registration statistics, at the end of the 10-day registration exercise, the Ashanti region recorded the highest with 186, 895 registrants.

This was followed by the Greater Accra region with 162, 709 registrants and the Northern region with 124, 561 registrants.

The EC’s Limited Voter registration exercise which commenced on April 28 and ended on May 8 has come under some criticisms for the many cases of violence which characterized it.

The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) alleged the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) registered minors during the exercise. This was soon to be counted by NPP which claimed some government officials used thugs to put fear in potential registrants in areas it considers “World bank”.

Another well-publicized infraction of the exercise was the case involving the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, also known as “Chairman Wontumi” who was declared wanted by the Ashanti Regional Police Command for assaulting the Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Collins Amankwah, as well as the Manhyia North NPP Constituency Secretary, Felix Ibrahim.

Chairman Wontumi later turned himself in at the Tafo Pankrono Police Station. He was held overnight and arraigned before a magistrate court the following day where he was granted a bail of 20, 000 cedis.

Many people also chided the EC for the poor nature of publicity about the exercise. They predicted the exercise would not be able to register many potential voters who are 18-years and above.

However, the 2016 provisional registration statistics said 1, 105, 686 persons registered throughout the country at the end of the exercise.

The number of applicants whose registration process was challenged in the course of the exercise was 18, 984.