The Electoral Commission (EC) has caused the arrest of its registration officer at the Pusiga District Registration Centre for registering 17 applicants with fake Ghana Card numbers in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.
The Commission said its investigations revealed that the registration officer connived with party agents to capture the fake card numbers without requesting the physical Ghana Card for verification.
The incident occurred on May 13, 2024. The officer was dismissed and arrested following the Commission’s official report to the police.
Moreover, the EC noted that the affected applicants were subsequently registered through the guarantor system.
The Acting Director of Public Affairs at the Commission, Michael Boadu, in a statement issued on Monday, May 20, warned that the EC will not shield any official who engages in any illegalities.
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“Upon investigation, it was revealed that the Ghana Card numbers were fake. It was further discovered that the Registration Officer was complicit because he did not physically inspect the Ghana Card of individual applicants but rather accepted the fake numbers from party Agents who had accompanied the 17 applicants.
“The Registration Officer was dismissed. A report was made to the Police and he was arrested. He has since been granted a police enquiry bail while the Police continue with their investigations.
“The 17 Applicants were subsequently registered through the Guarantor System.”
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“While the Police continue with their investigations, the Commission would like to warn all its Temporary Officials that it will not countenance the breach of its electoral laws. Any person found violating the laws of the Commission will be handed over to the Police and permanently blacklisted by the Commission,” he emphasised.
Despite the challenges encountered in the first two days, Mr Boadu said the Commission is on schedule to register the projected 623,000 voters by the end of the exercise.
Additionally, the Commission assured all its stakeholders and the general public that the voter registration exercise is “being conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner.”
