The Electoral Commission has condemned the pockets of violence that have characterized the ongoing voters’ registration exercise.
Some of these violent physical and verbal attacks, perpetuated mainly by political actors, have been visited on officials of EC.
For instance, registration officials at Step to Christ Centre at Kasoa in the Central had to run for their lives after gun-toting men stormed the area to disrupt the exercise.
The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East Constituency, Hawa Koomson has confessed firing gunshots at the centre to bring order to the centre on Monday, July 20.
“I can’t sit and watch people who are not from the constituency register and vote at Kasoa so I decided to go to the polling center to ensure foreigners don’t register… I took men to the center, none of my men had a weapon, I fired the warning shot myself,” the minister admitted to Accra-based Adom News, “I realized that my people’s life was in danger. I wanted to scare them.”
But the EC in a statement on Monday said, “The Commission condemns such acts during a civil exercise like the Registration of Voters and calls on security agencies to investigate the issue as a matter of urgency to bring the perpetrators to book,”
It also emphasized that the violent activities at the registration centres offend Act 999.
“These acts constitute a breach of the Vigilante and Related Offenses Act, 2019 Act 999. The Act seeks to disband violent activities of Political Parties and makes political vigilantism an offence punishable by a prison term.”
The Commission reminded the general public, particularly political party agents, to make use of the Challenge Form to stop persons who are ineligible from getting onto the voters’ register.
Such forms are sent to the District Registration Review Committee for a ruling on the matter.
“Political Party agents are therefore cautioned against the use of violence to challenge a person’s eligibility.”
