Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has firmly dismissed claims by the Electoral Commission (EC) that discrepancies in the 2024 Provisional Voters Register have been resolved.
During the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting in Accra on Tuesday, October 1, Dr Omane Boamah argued that the EC’s lack of decisive action could allow individuals manipulating voter data to continue their activities unchecked, posing a serious threat to the integrity of the upcoming election.
He expressed concerns that with the election fast approaching, the EC’s delays in fully addressing these discrepancies might make it impossible to correct the register in time. “Time is of the essence,” he stressed, emphasising the urgency of resolving the issues.
Dr. Omane Boamah reiterated the NDC’s demand for a comprehensive audit of the 2024 voter register and the EC’s IT system to ensure full transparency and accuracy.
The audit, he said, would provide confidence in the integrity of the electoral process and safeguard against any potential tampering with voter data.
Using a vivid analogy during his address at the IPAC meeting, he said, “When your roof is leaking, you can choose to mop continuously, or you can decide to fix the leak and then mop. What we see here is the EC mopping and mopping [referring to the EC’s PowerPoint presentation], without addressing the core issue.”
“Fixing the leakage is missing, and this is at the heart of our altruistic demand for a forensic audit. This forensic audit is not just about the register, when you have fixed the register, I will demonstrate to you, how as a result of our revelations, some aftermath of the fixing is providing a semblance of we’re fixing it. When you fix it we all look at the hard copies, and we’re all given the PVR soft copies.
“In November, if the very criminals that got us here, are still there engaged in illegal transfers, we will come back to square one. At that time, it will be too close to the December 7 elections. This is why we’re saying, we need to adopt a dichotomous approach, look at the register, fix the issues in there and also audit the very IT system, that allows these anomalies to occur.”
However, the EC has countered that the NDC’s demand for an audit is premature, citing robust procedures in place to prepare the final register.
The EC outlined a multi-step process, including registration, exhibition, and review, to address discrepancies and ensure the register’s integrity.
The Commission assured that most discrepancies have been resolved and that the remaining issues will be addressed through the established pathway.