The Electoral Commission (EC) has dismissed claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it is attempting to insert the name of one of to insert the name of an unqualified NPP parliamentary candidate into the Assin North voters’ register.
The National Communications officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi on Sunday said: “The National Democratic Congress has become aware of a plot by the ruling New Patriotic Party, acting in cahoots with their collaborators in the Electoral Commission to transfer and insert the name of one Charles Opoku, into the Voters Register of the Assin North constituency. This illegal move is to aid the said Charles Opoku to contest in the NPP Parliamentary primaries to select a candidate for the upcoming Assin North by-election”.
“Our unimpeachable sources have revealed that contrary to the clear requirement on the nomination form for the Assin North by-election, which demands that a candidate in the election must be a registered voter in Assin North, the said Charles Opoku is not a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency”.
The EC however in a swift response said “This is not true”.
“ For the records, the EC has not received any such request from the NPP to transfer the votes of any person. This allegation is false and a figment of the author’s imagination. As usual, it is aimed at maligning the integrity of the Electoral Commission.”
According to the EC, Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution states that a person does not need to be a registered voter in a specific constituency to be eligible to contest an election there. Simply being a Ghanaian, 21 years or older, of sound mind, and a registered voter is sufficient.
However, if a person wishes to contest in a constituency where they do not hail from, they must be ordinarily resident there or have resided there for at least five years out of the previous ten years.
“Per the Constitution, simply hailing from a constituency entitles a person to contest an election in that constituency so long as the person is, a Ghanaian, twenty-one years and above, of sound mind and a registered voter,” the statement added.
