National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed serious concerns over the Electoral Commission's (EC) omission of critical voter data in the final voters register for the upcoming 2024 General Elections.

The NDC claims that these omissions compromise transparency and could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

In a statement addressed to Ghanaians, political stakeholders, and the international community, the NDC's Director of Elections and IT, Dr Edward Omane Boamah criticized the EC for failing to conduct a forensic audit of the provisional voters register despite significant discrepancies identified earlier.

The party pointed out that both the forensic audit of the register and the audit of the IT systems remain outstanding.

The NDC emphasized that recent developments raise doubts about the EC's commitment to a fair and impartial election.

According to the statement, political parties received copies of the final voter register on November 6, 2024. However, the NDC says the register lacks essential data needed to verify its credibility, including national, regional, and constituency voter statistics, absentee voter statistics, gender statistics, and statistics on proxy voters.

The NDC argues that the omission of this data limits the ability of stakeholders to verify the accuracy and completeness of the voter register, which they describe as the "backbone of credible elections."

The NDC further stressed that transparency is critical to building trust in the electoral process and that the EC's actions risk damaging public confidence in the upcoming elections.

According to the NDC, three main areas of concern arise from these omissions:

Transparency and Trust: Elections rely on the trust of all parties and stakeholders, and the EC’s omission of essential voter data erodes this trust and limits accountability.

Credibility of the Voters Register: The absence of critical statistics raises doubts about the accuracy of the register and whether it reflects a true and updated list of Ghanaian voters.

Violation of Democratic Principles: The NDC argues that by failing to act with full transparency, the EC risks tarnishing Ghana's democratic reputation.

In light of these issues, the NDC has issued a call to action.

They urged the Electoral Commission to immediately release the full statistical breakdown of the voter register and called upon civil society organizations, the international community, and the media to demand accountability from the EC to ensure credible and transparent elections.

They also appealed to international observers to monitor the EC’s actions closely in the lead-up to the December elections.

The NDC maintains that Ghanaians deserve a transparent, free, and fair electoral process, warning that any failure by the EC to address these concerns could threaten the legitimacy of the 2024 general elections.