The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Brong Ahafo Region has alleged that Ivorian refugees at the Fetentaa Refugee Camp, near Berekum, are being bused to register in the country’s limited voters’ registration exercise.
They argue that the move is to enable them to later vote in the November 7 general elections.
[contextly_sidebar id=”dm6xD27FZYo7cyxDd0wcEn0spG5bgSga”]According to the NPP, some of their members encountered twelve people believed to be from Ivory Coast at the Akokora-Kwadwo electoral area in the Sunyani East constituency, attempting to register in the exercise.
This allegation comes months after the NPP argued that they have cause to believe that the country’s voter’s register is bloated by over 70,000 with names of minors and foreigners mostly from neighboring countries including Togo, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
In an interview with Citi News, the Brong Ahafo Regional Communication Director of the NPP, Maxwell Mahama, called on the general public to watch out for such impersonators.
“We are doing Ghanaian voter limited registration not West Africa, so we should try and reduce the oppressors’ rule. The oppressors’ rule here is that, Ivorian’s are coming to choose our leaders for us so everybody should be extra vigilante,” he stressed.
The NPP activist said “the BNI, Police, Immigration officers as well as other security agencies should be up and doing because there are Ivorians in our midst.”
“I am aware that we cannot drive them away but we can do something to protect the sanctity of the registration process. Everybody should be careful and extra vigilante because Ivorians are here. They should protect the registration centres to prevent others who want to come as foreigners to register.”
We can’t prove foreigners registering
Meanwhile similar incidents have been reported in the Jomoro and Evalue Gwira constituencies of the Western Region.
But the NPP in Jomoro say they have not been able to prove the allegations but they remain vigilant to ensure it does not happen.
Don’t force people to register – Ayariga
In a another development, the founder of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga has charged political parties to desist from persuading prospective voters from registering in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise since that is the work of the Electoral Commission.
“I don’t think that political parties must get involved in calling on Ghanaians to take part in the limited registration. It is not the duty of political parties to call on voters to come out and register, it is the Electoral Commission’s duty,” he said.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin