The University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), is protesting against the Electoral Commission’s decision to allow for few registration centres on the various university campuses in its ongoing limited voters’ registration exercise.
USAG argues that the situation could discourage students from getting their names on the voters’ register and subsequently get disenfranchised on November 7.
The call comes on the back of Citi News’ report on the situation on the various campuses including the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Cape Coast.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2jzZjx7GJOixmXxZKOyYGWKNdCC9iSyv”]USAG President Henry Nkosuo Boakye in an interview with Citi News said the EC must provide more registration centres on the various campuses.
He noted that “an institution like Legon should have at least three registration centres, University of Education Kumasi Campus should have two centres while a big institution like KNUST which has over 25,000 Ghanaian students should have at least three centres.”
NPP joins the chorus
The opposition NPP has expressed similar concerns wondering why a place like the University of Ghana could have just one registration center.
Speaking to Citi News, the party’s Youth Organizer, Sammy Awuku said “when you go to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science of Technology the registration centre is sited at Peduase. University of Cape Coast also has one centre.”
He added that at the University of Education, Winneba, though there are “thousands of students of students there” only one centre has been provided as well as the University of Ghana Legon which is serving “over 14,000 potential registrants and voters.”
“And it is our considered opinion that there seems to be a deliberate and well-coordinated effort to make sure many fresh voters do not get the opportunity to change this government and that is why we are calling on the Electoral Commission not to be an impediment between the students and the change that they desire and they wish for,” Mr. Awuku added.
Make ID card transfer automatic
Meanwhile, the 2012 running mate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumakuma, is also calling on the EC to necessarily make provisions for automatic transfer of votes for tertiary students.
According to her, this will ensure students who are registering at their various campuses are not disenfranchised on November 7th.
“The EC should consider the reasons for which the limited registration exercise is being taken and I guess most of the people to be considered are people who have just turned 18. Most of them are in their final year in SHS and they have to now go back to the EC to do their transfers saying that either the EC considers the main reason why they are doing the registration exercise or they initiate an automatic transfer system that will not require that the young people go back to the EC again. Due to cost and time some won’t do it. So obviously if the EC does not consider these things a lot more people will be disenfranchised.”
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin