Terrible turn out in elections

Yesterday's voting in the District Level Elections received a terrible low patronage throughout the country. ADM's monitoring team to some centers reveals patronage was at its lowest erb.

At the Achimota Saint Johns School, with a total number of 650 people, only 200 people had voted. Though the voting materials arrived on time, says the Presiding officer.

At Lapaz, most of the polling stations had low patronage. The Presiding members complained that voter turn out have been very terrible as compared to last year.

At the Christ the King School Polling Station of Lakoo Electoral Area, with 450 people expected to vote, only 150 had voted. Though electoral materials arrived late, the Presiding Officer, Mr. Mensah Bokor said late arrival of material is not a contributing factor.

At the BOD Polling Station of the Lakoo Electoral Area in the Dade Kotopon Constituency station, which is considered to be the most highly contested seat, though the atmosphere was much tensed, voter turn out was not encouraging, despite most of the candidates moved from house to house encouraging people to come out and vote.

The Presiding Officer of the Station refused to talk to the media, claiming that they had been told during their training not to talk to journalists.

The five candidates contesting the electoral seat are the incumbent Ms Freda Prempeh, 40, a Public Relations Officer; Aaron Anang Akrong, Daniel Mensah Odoi, Esther Obetsebi-Lamptey, Businesswoman and Joseph Christopher Bruce.

It was not only the Greater Accra Region that experienced the low turn-outs. ADM's regional sources reported of the same occurrences at their various regions.

Speaking to the ADM, a Director of the Operations Department of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Dankwah attributed the low patronage to lack of commitment. "We have done all the education we need to do but I think the people are not committed", he said.

He added: "Our people are under this hot sun waiting for people in vain. We made sure that all the necessary logistics are there& we did a lot of education to wipe up interest, but people still do not see that this election is like the national".

Yesterday's elections ADM was told was the worst patronized in the history of such elections.