By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Electoral Commission (EC) had registered a total of 139,416 new voters in the Ashanti region as of the end of yesterday, Sunday, October 2, 2023.
Out of the 139,416, 1,116 have had their eligibility challenged and their issuance of their Voter’s Identity Cards suspended.
The Regional Director of Elections, Benjamin Banor-Bioh, disclosed this to GBC’s Garden TV in Kumasi
According to the Regional Director, of the challenges cases, 672 are suspected to be minors, 154 non-Ghanaians, and 277 non-residents in their respective districts with three others suspected to be mentally unstable.
Mr. Banor-Bioh disclosed also that, the guarantor system which constitutes 53 point-seven percent is the most dominant proof of identification for the registration while the use of a Ghana Card came next with a little over 46 percent.
The Regional Director noted that only applicants who would still be in the queue after the closing time of 5 p.m. today, Monday, October 2, 2023, would be given identification numbers to return tomorrow to register.
Besides this, the EC has not decided on extending the registration period adding that, within the past four days, there has been a consistent reduction in the number of applicants for registration across the region giving an indication that, an extension of the registration period may not be necessary.
Touching on the challenge cases, the Regional EC Director said after the registration exercise, Arbitration Committees will be constituted in all the districts to hear and determine the cases with the complainants having the responsibility to prove their allegations.
Mr. Banor-Bioh said, only only registrants whose cases will be dismissed will be issued with the Voter’s ID Cards and warned that, failed challenged complaints could be referred to the Police for prosecution or the applicants themselves could take legal action against their accusers.