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The National Organiser of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, has urged the Electoral Commission not to yield to calls for the extension of the just ended limited voter registration exercise.

According to him, because the EC has explained that the registration is a continuous exercise it is undertaking ahead of the November polls, it will not be wise to extend the date.

Some political party representatives and their agents have called for the extension of the limited registration exercise which ended on Sunday, May 8, 2016.

They claimed that because the registration centres were few, a lot of people could not register hence could be disenfranchised if the exercise is not extended. 

But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, Kofi Adams argued that persons who wish to be captured on the nation’s electoral roll could visit the district office of the Electoral Commission to do so.

I’m completely against extension

“I am completely against any extension of the limited registration project because the people who were not captured could still exploit the continuous registration. They have not been barred from registering; the only thing is that the Electoral Commission as per its processes agreed that from time to time, they will organize registrations closer to you, which they have done.”

“Those who were able to utilize the time to register, we thank God, those who could not, they can still exploit continuous registration to have their names captured. What this means is that, you have the responsibility of walking to the district office of the Electoral Commission to be captured,” he noted.

But the Campaign Manager for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Mac Manu, also speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, disagreed with Kofi Adams.

To him, an extension of the exercise is very important.

“I totally agree that the exercise should be extended. I think the system that was used by the EC did not capture many people and by so doing they are disenfranchising so many people,” he added.

Officials turn away scores in Ashanti Region

Scores of residents in some constituencies in the Ashanti Region, were turned away from registering in the just ended two-weeks exercise at the eleventh hour.

Citi News’ Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Lauretta Timah reported that at the Yaa Akyea M/A school in the Subin Constituency, residents who rushed to the place to register after 5pm were not allowed to do so “…but those in the queue were attended to.”