Election 2024: Ato Forson demands forensic audit of voters’ register

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has cast doubt on the credibility of the recently exhibited voters’ register by the Electoral Commission.

This follows admission of the existence of errors on the register by the Deputy Chairman of the Commission in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare.

“In the preparations towards the 2024 Exhibition Exercise, the Absent Voters List and the Transferred Voters List inadvertently included all transfers that had been done since 2020 when this Register was first prepared. This has resulted in a higher-than-expected number of Absent and Transferred Voters.”

“This understandably may have caused some anxiety to our stakeholders, as exemplified by the press conference addressed by the NDC in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency of the Central Region.”

” We wish to restate that the Provisional Voters Register is not the Final Voters Register. The central objective of the Exhibition Exercise is to correct any anomalies and issues with the Provisional Register before the Final Register is produced. This has been the practice since 1992.

” The Commission wishes to assure the Public that, after the Exhibition Exercise, the Final Voters Register that will be produced will be robust and credible,”   Dr Asare assured on September 2.

However, addressing Parliament on September 3, Dr Forson posited that the scale of irregularities is unpardonable.

” Rt. Hon Speaker, the Electoral Commission has admitted that the Voter Register is riddled with irregularities and flaws. I daresay that the scale of these irregularities is such that somebody may have tampered with the Voter Register database. I am sorry Mr. Speaker, we cannot vouch for the integrity of the Voters Register as it stands.

” The details of the irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted. We therefore demand a forensic audit into the Voters Register database,” Dr Forson demanded.

Please read full statement below:

REMARKS BY THE MINORITY LEADER IN PARLIAMENT, CASSIEL ATO FORSON, PhD. AT AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF PARLIAMENT ON TUESDAY, 3RD SEPTEMBER, 2024.

1. Rt. Hon Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make these brief remarks at this emergency recall of Parliament.

2. This recall comes barely 95 days to the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

3. This recall that has been triggered by the NPP Majority is to enable them fast-track and railroad tax giveaways to their crony businesses.

4. Rt. Hon. Speaker, let me state without any equivocation that the Minority’s position on these tax exemptions has not changed. We have always maintained that these tax exemptions are not in the best interest of the tax payer.

5. Our position has always been that until these exemptions are converted to tax credit or linked to equity shares as stipulated in the Tax Exemptions Act, we will not support giving away over $350 million to crony businesses in an opaque and non-transparent manner.

6. Rt. Hon Speaker, giving away inordinate tax exemptions is not an urgent issue that should warrant a recall of this House.

7. Ghana’s economy is still bleeding, cost of living continues to be high and Ghanaians can simply not make ends meet.

8. These are the real bread and butter issues that should concern any serious government and not the giveaway of much-needed tax revenue.

9. As we speak, COCOBOD has been shut out from borrowing from international banks.

10. International Banks are running away from Ghana COCOBOD and the cocoa sector is on its knees.

11. Rt. Hon Speaker, the prevailing price of cocoa on the world market and the exchange rate means that COCOBOD will be selling a bag of cocoa at GHS9,700.

12. The cocoa farmer cannot be paid anything less than GHS6,000 per bag.

13. The payment of GHS6,000 per bag of cocoa is critical because cocoa farmers deserve the benefit of their hard labour.

14. Rt. Hon Speaker, the Electoral Commission has admitted that the Voter Register is riddled with irregularities and flaws.

15. I daresay that the scale of these irregularities is such that somebody may have tampered with the Voter Register database.

16. I am sorry Mr. Speaker, we cannot vouch for the integrity of the Voters Register as it stands.

17. The details of the irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted.

18. We therefore demand a forensic audit into the Voters Register database.

19. In conclusion, Rt. Hon Speaker,

• the mood of the country
• the state of our people
• the state of our healthcare and education
• the state of our waterbodies and our environment
• the cost-of-living crisis we are going through
• the deplorable state of our economy
• the free fall of the Ghana Cedi and
• the unemployment situation

are the very things that should guide us in every decision we take in this House.

20. Our decisions should be people-centered. It should not be about us. It should be about the Ghanaian people. It should be Ghana First!

21. Mr. Speaker, Ghana is in crisis.

22. Rt. Hon Speaker, I thank you.

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