Source: tntnewspapergh.com

The Assembly Member for the Krofrom East Electoral Area within the Kumasi Metropolis, who is also the Presiding Member (PM) of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr. Patrick Kwame Frimpong, has raised serious concerns about the difficulties many eligible applicants are going through in the ongoing limited registration exercise.

According to him, the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to limit the registration exercise to their district offices alone has compelled the major political parties and some of their followers, especially parliamentary candidates, to engage in busing and feeding eligible applicants to the various district offices across the country to register.

Hon Patrick Kwame Frimpong

Speaking in an interview with “The New Trust” on Friday, 24th May 2024, the KMA PM lamented that if people who have attained 18 years and above have to struggle before they can access registration centres, and at the same time if it has to take political parties officials to bus them, give them food and sometimes tokens after going through the process, “what do you think will happen when it gets to voting time? They will by all means demand something before they go out to vote.”

Mr. Frimpong, who was not happy about some of the decisions of the EC, especially the limitation of registration exercise to its district offices, alleged that it is rather breeding corruption, because it has allowed the largest political parties and their activists to take advantage to induce potential voters right from the first stage of the electoral process in the name of providing transport, food, etc.

He has, therefore, called for urgent reconsideration of EC’s decision to make the registration of qualified applicants easily accessible.

Already, both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have raised a series of counter allegations against each other over busing and inducing eligible applicants to register in the ongoing limited registration exercise which is now expected to end on Wednesday, 29th May 2024, because the Commission has extended the earlier deadline by two days.

It is against this backdrop that Mr. Frimpong is advocating proactive measures to discourage the inducement of eligible voters during voter registration exercise.