The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is asking the Electoral Commission to abrogate the contract it has with IT security solutions company, Superlock Technology Ltd (STL).
STL has been indicted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) over the handling of the nation’s Biometric Voter Register (BVR).
[contextly_sidebar id=”Upockhv9FTlzSVwMkJ4QYambU3UFBOn5″]According to the report, the STL, which was contracted by the EC to assist in the management of the biometric database used for the 2012 general elections, still controls the sensitive data several years after.
The report stated that “the management of biometric database 16 has been outsourced to STL who was expected to train and fully hand over the system to the IT Department of the EC before the 2012 elections.”
Commenting on the report on Eyewitness News, the NPP’s Director of elections, Martin Adjei Korsah accused STL of “trying to monopolize” the voters register database and has thus “rendered the EC’s IT department dormant because without STL they can’t function.”
He said the EC must take every possible step to cut ties with the company.
“…in whose interest is the continuous stay of STL serving? How did STL even end up getting this contract from the commission and how has their work been? So I think it’s a damning report.”
Mr. Korsah said “we hope that moving on into 2016, to what extent does all of these outlined here affect the delivery of credible, fair and acceptable election. We need to check some of these things, answer them properly before we move on into the next election to ensure greater acceptability of the process and its outcome towards 2016.”
“I think that this company should completely move away from our elections. The track record so far is even one that no one can be proud about. Before STL came, some of us doubted what their real expertise of competence was in the area that they are venturing. What they have left us with is nothing to write home about. And I think that they have to completely move away from our elections. Their delivery is poor, they seem to have gotten to all kinds of business interest and I don’t think that they have time to even deliver,” Mr. Korsah opined.
Also speaking on the Eyewitness News, the Deputy General Secretary of NDC, George Lawson, said the “report is not accurate.”
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana