Friday, 04 October

Voter roll: EC must allow live broadcast of Tuesday's IPAC meeting – Omane Boamah

Politics
Dr Edward Omane Boamah

The Electoral Commission (EC) has called for an urgent Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting tomorrow, October 1, 2024, to discuss the contentious 2024 voters' register.

In light of recent disputes between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the EC, there is a growing demand for the meeting to be broadcast live, the National Democratic Congress' Director of Elections and IT, Dr Edward Omane Boamah has said.

In a Facebook post dated September 30, 2024, Dr Boamah explained that it is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability.

'Given the significant concerns raised regarding the integrity of the voters register, allowing media coverage would provide Ghanaians with real-time, unbiased information about the ongoing issues, particularly after the EC’s self-audit to rectify previous errors' he said.

He noted that advocates for the live coverage contend that it would mitigate the risk of misinformation and misrepresentation following the meeting.

“The public deserves to witness the discussions as they unfold,” Dr Boamah stated.

“We need to ensure that the integrity of the electoral process is maintained.”

Furthermore, the NDC has emphasized that their call for a forensic audit of the voters' register and the EC’s IT systems cannot be fully addressed in the scope of the IPAC meeting.

Recent reports from the NDC’s #EAGLEEYES initiative suggest that as of yesterday, the EC is still grappling with issues related to missing names from the voters' register, raising alarms about potential data manipulation.

“The problem is more serious than it appears,” Dr Boamah added.

“Until those responsible for any intentional manipulation of voters’ data are identified and held accountable, we risk repeating these mistakes as we approach the December 7 elections.”

Source: Classfmonline.com/Cecil Mensah