Oguaa experiences low turnout

Cape Coast, Sept. 07, GNA - Two hundred and seventy-five people had turned up to have their photographs taken in the voter registration mopping-up exercise of the electoral Commission in eight out of the 16 designated centres in the Cape Coast Municipality when the GNA visited the centres on Tuesday.

A total of 3,700 registered voters who did not have their photos taken during the main exercise in July were expected to turn up during the mopping-up, which took off last Friday and ended on Tuesday.

At the Legion Hall Centre only 17 of the 222 voters had their photos taken while 41 out of 200 turned up at the Brofoyedur Post Office Centre.

Twenty-three out of 105 at the Amanful Methodist Church Centre took advantage of the exercise; 45 out of 350 at the Municipal Assembly Centre and 26 out of the expected 176 at Town Hall Centre availed themselves.

At the Adisadel Mosque Centre only 20 of the 198 turned up; Ola GNTC Centre recorded 32 out of 118 and the Centre at the UCC Auditorium had 74 out of 352 voters.

Many of the Supervisors at the centres told the GNA that the low turnout was as a result of inadequate publicity on the exercise as well as apathy on the part of the public.

Mr Ali Ekow, of the Amanful Methodist Centre, said political parties should have educated their supporters on the importance of having their photographs taken.

Mr Michael Boadu, Municipal Director of Electoral Commission, said 85,976 voters registered in the Municipality.

Out the number, 82,276 had their photographs taken during the main exercise and expressed regret that the turnout for the mopping-up had not been encouraging.

Mr Boadu said he did not agree that the low turn out was due to inadequate publicity.

"The Commission undertook the requisite education and it is my hope that those who are yet to turn up would have done so by the time the exercise ends at 1800 hours."