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02.07.2020 Headlines

Voter Registration: Court Restrains EC From Changing Registration Date In Zebilla; Ordered To Register Affected Communities Within 10days

Voter Registration: Court Restrains EC From Changing Registration Date In Zebilla; Ordered To Register Affected Communities Within 10days
02.07.2020 LISTEN

A High Court in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region has restrained the regional representative of the Electoral Commission from changing the registration date for the compilation of a new voters' register in 13 communities in Zebilla Constituency from June to August.

The Court presided over by Justice Jacob Bawine Boon on Thursday, July 2 ordered the EC to register the affected communities within 10days.

The seven applicants have accused the EC of plotting to disenfranchise them and some eligible voters in 13 communities.

The communities include Komaka primary school, Ferega, Timonde primary school, Timonde Natinga, Timonde-Guure primary school, Biringu primary school, Timonde market square, Goriga, Binaba primary school, Binaba old daycare centre, Gori primary school, Tetako primary school, and Azuwera primary school.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Lawyer John Akparibo Ndebugre, a private legal practitioner and former Member of Parliament prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining the EC of shifting the registration of the applicants and several eligible voters.

According to him, the decision by the regional rep of the EC to shift the registration date has been made capriciously, unilaterally, unfairly, unreasonably and without candour to the disadvantage and inconveniences of several eligible voters.

Background

At an earlier press briefing on Monday in Bolgatanga, Lawyer Ndebugre stated that the EC in a Gazette released on 26th May, 2020 announced the registration centres for the compilation of a new voters register.

According to him, areas earmarked for the registration in batch 1 phase 1 which was scheduled to start from 1st to 6th July however, turned out that those communities were now rescheduled from batch 1 phase 1 to batch 2, phase 5 which starts from 1st to 6th August, without notifying the residents who are already aware of the earlier date.

Ndebugre stressed that many of the people will be disenfranchised due to the inconveniences of rescheduling the date from today Tuesday July 30 to August 1 which the residents are not aware of.

Mr. Ndebugre argues that August is a period likely to experience heavy rainfall and persistent rains thereby making it difficult if not impossible for eligible voters to be able to leave their homes and go to the designated areas to register as voters.

According to him, it could rain continuously for three to four days non stop, a situation he believes will disrupt the registration process and cause unnecessary delay of the already slow process.

Below is the document:

72202082338-ptkvn0y442-john-dey

Atubugri Simon Atule
Atubugri Simon Atule

Upper East Regional Correspondent Page: AtubugriSimonAtule

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