AFARI-GYAN STUMBLES IN COURT
The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan yesterday, stumbled over double registration in the voters' register, when he appeared in the witness box before the Supreme Court.
The identification of the double registration came up in Ghanaian voters that were registered from the various diplomatic missions abroad, which came to light during cross-examination by Mr. Philip Addison, lead counsel for the petitioners in the on-going election petition hearing.
His response to the court, presided over by Justice William Atuguba over the number of repeated names (otherwise known as double registration), which appear to contradict what petitioners' had provided in their affidavit sworn to by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, star witness of the petitioners in the case.
Other panel members are Justices Julius Ansah, Sophia Adinyira, Rose Owusu, Jones Dotse, Anim-Yeboah, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Sule Gbadegbe and Vida Akoto-Bamfo.
Dr. Afari Gyan had earlier on submitted a list of 705 voters as names of those who were registered in various diplomatic missions abroad for the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
But in the affidavits filed by the petitioners, the list of 705 names from the various diplomatic missions abroad, as furnished by the EC, contained 51 names that had been repeated.
The petitioners had argued that the said voters register contained forged and multiple names and identities which they found difficult to believe because it contradicted the very essence of the introduction of the biometric registration and verification device.
The use of biometric registration and verification device was introduced for the 2012 polls as a measure to prevent instances of double registration and multiple voting.
Mr. Afari-Gyan told the court that by the EC's assessment, only 15 names were detected to have been repeated in the said voters register that contained the names of Ghanaian voters in various diplomatic missions abroad.
Lead counsel for the petitioners, Mr. Addison, during his cross-examination of the witness argued strongly that there were instances of double registration as he took witness through a list of duplicate registration of Ghanaians abroad.
It did not take long for Dr. Afari Gyan to admit to the petitioners' claim that there were issues of double registration of Ghanaian voters abroad after carefully examining the list provided to him by petitioners counsel.
Having thoroughly gone through some lists of Ghanaians registered abroad and quizzed as to whether or not double registration could be identified, witness responded in the affirmative.
In another instance, numbers 87 and 310 on the register had two women with same ages, 42, and same names as Adjazo Addey Evelyn Esi living in New York with different voter ID numbers with same polling station numbers with voter ID numbers as 1844900546 and 1844800548, having a polling code C131904.
Additionally, numbers 473 and 542 also had same age (30), sex, and location (Geneva) bearing the same name, Agnes Apdeta Abota but with different voters ID numbers being 1852800752 and 1852900750.
After carefully re-examining the documents, Dr. Afari Gyan admitted to double registration in those instances but told the court that the EC's check revealed 15 names contrary to what the petitioners' were claiming.
The 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Party Chairman, Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey are in court challenging the declaration of John Mahama as winner in the 2012 Presidential election by the EC.
Petitioners were asking the court to annul 4, 670,504 votes, representing votes cast in 11,916 polling stations across the country for what they termed' gross and widespread irregularities' recorded during the December 2012 Polls.
Meanwhile, the petitioners have currently reduced the number of polling stations they are challenging to 11,138.
However, the respondents have denied the assertions of the petitioners, noting that the results of the election as declared were credible. Sitting continues June 10, 2013