Electoral Commission Apologises To 18-Year-Old Arrested For Double Voter Registration At New Juaben

• The Electoral Commission has apologised to an 18-year-old arrested for alleged double registration
• The suspect was unlawfully registered to vote in 2020 by unknown persons when he was a minor
• The commission did not entirely erase the suspect's name from the register following a petition

The Electoral Commission in New Juaben has apologised to an 18-year-old man arrested on for double registration.

The suspect, Martin Kwakye, was arrested on May 11, 2024, when he visited a registration centre.

The commission apologised to Kwakye on Monday, May 13, 2024, during a meeting with him and his father, according to Joy News.

It was revealed that unknown persons unlawfully registered Kwakye.

They prompted the EC in a letter dated July 23, 2020, but their names were not deleted.

Read also

Collins Dauda granted quick bail after arrest over violence at registration centre in Ahafo Region

During the meeting, the Municipal EC boss, Kofi Asante Owusu, clarified that the names of two minors were removed from the voter register at the constituency level following the petition.

However, the deletion was not done from the EC’s database at the headquarters, resulting in the wrongful arrest.

The commission began the limited registration process on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, for first-time voters and persons who wish to own a voter card.

The 21-day exercise will end on May 27, 2024, with the commission aiming to register about 623,000 first-time voters.

The process has been marred by technical challenges so far, as well as some instances of violence.

There was a clash between supporters of the NPP and NDC in Awutu Senya West on May 7, 2024

The clash occurred during the first day of the voters registration exercise because of a dispute over the registration order.

Read also

Police officers interdicted following misconduct during voters registration violence at Adugyama

Also, there was gunfire at a voters registration centre in the Cape Coast North constituency of the Central Region on May 9, 2024.

Error in commission's registration data

YEN.com.gh reported that the Electoral Commission corrected the initial data on persons registered during the voter registration exercise.

The EC said 143,014 persons were registered but noted there were mistakes in the figures for the Upper East Region.

The National Democratic Congress has been disputing the figures put out by the commission, saying the actual figures are lower.

Source: YEN.com.gh