More than 13,000 names of voters objected to in Central Region

Some 13,766 registered names on the voters' register were objected to in the exhibition centres in the Central Region during the week-long exhibition of voters' register that ended about two weeks ago.

Among the names objected to were those said to belong to people who have passed away, double registration and the registration of aliens and minors, with the Mfantseman municipality recording the highest number of 1,932 objections.

Upper Denkyira had 1,643,objections made, Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam 1,406, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese 1,380, Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira 1,271,Assin South 1,256 and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem municipality 1,188.

Gomoa district had 1,108, Agona 981, Assin North 737, Awutu-Efutu-Senya 518, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa 224 and Cape Coast metropolis, 122.

Mr Samuel Tettey, Regional Electoral Officer, told the GNA on Monday that raising objections to names on the register did not automatically lead to a person's name being deleted.

Those who raised the objections are made to fill 'objections forms' while those whose names have been objected to are contacted for the two parties to appear before a court to ascertain the authenticity or otherwise of the objections made.

Names are deleted only when the courts rule to that effect.

On the turn out during the exercise, he said 398,395 of the 904,844 eligible voters on the region's register turned out to check their names and that reports reaching his office indicated that some people who had done double registration, voluntarily walked in to delete one of their names after learning that it was an offence.

On the removal of the names of deceased persons, he said very few people were able to provide evidence for the names of their dead relatives to be removed and that in some cases the exhibition officers, who had information about some deceased voters, contacted the chiefs and the local churches for evidence before deleting their names.

Mr Tettey said the essence of the exercise was to let people know where they will vote in addition to ensuring that their names are on the register and people who failed to check their names with the assumption that their names are on the register cannot blame the EC if it turns out they are not.