Voter registration: Election Watch Ghana accuse EC of using stolen BVRs to register people secretly

A group calling itself Election Watch Ghana, has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of registering people with the alleged stolen Biometric Voters Registration (BVR) machines, in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.

The accusation follows varied figures issued by the EC in the ongoing voter registration held nationwide.

The EC at the end of Day 2 of the registration exercise reported 25,287 registered voters but the National Democratic Congress (NDC) records showed only 19,267.

Similarly, the EC's total registration figure of 48,616 for Day 3 was contradicted by the NDC's count of 43,417 registered voters.

At a press conference addressed by the Convener for the group, Mark Ewusi said he was convinced that “…the EC’s mistake on day two was not accidental but rather figures coming from the stolen BVRs.”

“We can firmly conclude that the stolen BVRs are in the custody of unscrupulous individuals who are their counterparts, concocting and illegally registering unqualified people with the BVRs in question," he stated.

He cautioned, that the consequences could be dire if not nib in the bud, adding that “we cannot afford to allow the EC to keep its stakeholders in the dark, all in the name of independence”.

He further debunked claims that disclosing BVR kits’ serial numbers would lead to hacking. According to him, it was a lame excuse for the EC to cover up its incompetence and lack of transparency.

Tracking the movement of gadgets by interested stakeholders he said would enhance security, prevent unauthorised use and future theft. He stresses that the EC’s refusal to do so is a clear indication of its intention to manipulate the electoral process.

“..we urge the EC to cease obscuring vital information under the guise of national security concerns. The serial numbers of hardware have no bearing on national security,” he said.