Volunteers For Voters’ Register Exhibition Hook EC For Unpaid Allowances

With barely a week to the December 17 District Level Elections, some persons who were contracted by the Electoral Commission (EC) to supervise the exhibition of the voters' register are demanding the payment of their allowances.

In September this year, the EC recruited some individuals to supervise the week-long exhibition exercise which took place in thousands of polling stations across the country.

But nearly four months after the exercise, the Commission is yet to pay those recruited for the exercise.

One of them, Kojo Mensah, who spoke to Citi News lamented the delay in the payment of the allowances.

“Up until now, we haven't received the money. Anytime you call any of the officials and those who trained us, they always tell you stories. As we speak, it still stands the same, we haven't been paid,” he said.

The cries of these EC registration officers come at a time when the Commission is focusing on running a successful district-level election following the cancellation of the controversial referendum.

The EC was hoping to organise three separate elections on December 17 including the referendum which sought to seek the approval of Ghanaians to amend Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution to allow political parties to sponsor candidates for local level elections.

But President Nana Akufo-Addo cancelled the referendum and also directed for the withdrawal of the Article 55 (3) Amendment Bill from Parliament as well as Article 243 (1) which was to allow Ghanaians to vote for their Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs). Assembly elections

The District Assembly and Unit Committee elections come off on December 17, 2019.

On the said day, the Electoral Commission will conduct two elections consisting of Assembly Members and Unit Committee Members.

The elections of the Assembly Members and the Unit Committee Members form the critical core of the country's decentralisation process.

They help in exercising political and administrative authority in the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, provide guidance, give direction to, and supervise the other administrative authorities in local assemblies.

—citinewsroom