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No Extension For Replacement – EC |
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THE Electoral Commission (EC) would not extend the date for the on-going replacement exercise of the voters’ ID card, Mr. Samuel York Aidoo, acting Head of Public Affairs Department of the Commission has hinted. |
He said the stipulated 10-day period would still be maintained, and therefore asked those who had lost their ID cards to visit the replacement centres for new ones.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE in an exclusive interview, Mr Yorke-Aidoo explained that the replacement exercise, which would enable people who had lost their ID cards to get new ones, was different from the voters’ registration exercise where a large number of people are expected to be registered; hence it would be out of place for the exercise to be extended.
The replacement of voters’ ID card, which started on Friday, March 14, would end on Easter Sunday, March 23. However, there had been public outcry about the poor publicity given to the exercise, which had resulted in low turn-outs.
Mr. York-Aidoo admitted the low turn-out and the poor publicity, but noted that the EC was intensifying its publicity campaign to give the exercise a further boost. Already, he said cinema vans were going round the country to inform Ghanaians about the exercise, but was quick to add that the EC had been retrieving some of the lost cards at the various financial institutions and that might be why people had not come for replacements at the centres.
“This exercise is meant for those who have lost their ID cards. It should be a joy for us that people have not lost their voters’ ID. I know there was poor turn-out but it is an on-going process and people are now trooping in.”
Commenting on the registration exercise scheduled for May this year, Mr. York-Aidoo warned eligible voters not to attempt registering double, as that was an offence punishable by law.
He declined to comment on the alleged bloated register issue, saying a committee was still working to establish the truth of the matter.
DAILY GUIDE's visit to a number of replacement centres in East, West Darkumah and Ayawaso districts indicated a poor turn-out.
For instance, at the Darkuman Methodist Church polling station, the officer told DAILY GUIDE that people were trickling in, citing that 47 people had so far registered.
He blamed the poor turn-out on poor publicity, and noted that it was only for those who had lost the ID cards that could be seen at the centres.
The situation was not different at King Joshua Replacement Centre. Ebenezer Dankyi, the officer in charge of that center told this paper that 42 residents had registered for replacement while 13 non-residents had also come for replacement.
Blaming the low turn-out on poor publicity, Mr. Dankyi said the EC started pasting posters giving direction to centres on the eve of Thursday, a day before the re-opening exercise.
At Iyidiki Electoral Area, Ayawaso polling station, Mr. James Nana Asiamah said there was poor planning prior to the exercise because the announcement did not reach the people at the appropriate time. He disclosed that 126 people had so far registered for replacement at his centre.
According to him, out of the 17 polling centres, the electoral area had only one replacement centre, thus making it difficult for people to trace their centres.
He also mentioned the transfer of people to the city centres as another issue EC should critically look at, explaining that a number of people who turned out did not know the name of their polling stations nor the electoral areas.
He therefore called on the EC to see how best it could rectify the situation for such people to do new registrations.
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