Voter Registration: Muntaka Laments Busing Of SHS Students To Centres

The Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed-Muntaka Mubarak has alleged busing of final year and form two Gold Track Senior High Students to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise in his constituency.

In a letter written to the Ghana Education Service (GES), the legislator alleges that there have been two separate incidences of students being bused to registration centres to register even though they do not hail from the Asawase constituency.

The Asawase legislator, in the letter, is calling for the intervention of the GES to stop any of such incidents from happening again.

He also accused the teachers and students who have taken part in the alleged act of breaking the Representation of People Law 1993 PNDCL 284. He also raised concerns about the risk of exposing the students to COVID-19.

In the letter, he indicates that “about thirty students of the Asanteman Senior High School were bused to two polling centres at Asabi-a suburb of the Asokore Manpong Municipal which makes up the Asawase Constituency. They were identified as not living, residing or hailing from any of the Asokore Manpong Municipal (Asawase Constituency) towns or communities and for that matter the Asawase Constituency.”

He also added that the students accused one Mr Bismark Fordjour (AKA Anadwo) of busing them to the registration centre.

The letter also indicated that as part of efforts to prevent the students from getting lynched, they handed them over to the Asokore Manpong District Police Command.

According to Muntaka Mubarak, “further checks also revealed that Bismark Fordjour is a tutor at the Asanteman Senior High School.”

The letter also alleged that some students of the Osei Kyeretwei Secondary School at Parkuso, some of which are minors, were bused to some polling stations to register even though they do not reside in the area. Media reports and earlier allegations

Seven out of twenty-one final year students of Asanteman Senior High school allegedly bused by a tutor Bismark Okyere to register in the Asawase Constituency were arrested on Friday, July 03, 2020.

One student was first arrested when he was spotted in a queue attempting to register.

The student upon sensing danger following the anger of the NDC supporters at the registration centre attempted to run but luck eluded him when he was apprehended.

The timely intervention of the Incumbent MP for the constituency Muntaka Mohammed halted attempts by supporters of the NDC to attack him.

The student then confessed he was bused to the registration centre by his teacher with 20 other final year students.

He quickly pointed 6 other students who were already in the queue to register. They were also arrested.

Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak had earlier vowed to fight and prevent what he terms as a plot by his opponents to bus non-residents into the constituency to register for voters ID.

He told the media that his team is fully aware of the conspiracy, stressing that perpetrators will have themselves to blame.

— citinewsroom