Two Togolese nationals are currently in the custody of the Jasikan Municipal Police Command for attempting to participate in Ghana’s ongoing voter registration exercise.
The suspects were apprehended by National Security officers on Sunday, May 19, and subsequently handed over to the police for further legal proceedings.
According to National Security officers, leaders of a local political party allegedly brought the suspects to the Jasikan Municipal Registration Centre. After their arrest, political leaders from the Buem Constituency reportedly attempted, unsuccessfully, to secure bail for the suspects at the police station.
This incident mirrors a recent arrest in the Ashanti Region’s Asokore Mampong, where two Nigeriens were detained for attempting to register despite not being Ghanaians. They failed to provide a convincing explanation to the Electoral Commission officers and police regarding their registration attempts.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a stern warning to political parties, urging them to prevent their regional and constituency executives from transporting minors and foreigners to voter registration centres.
Deputy Electoral Commissioner Dr. Bossman Asare, addressing journalists on May 13, emphasized the critical role political parties play in maintaining a credible voter register. “We continue to receive reports that minors and non-Ghanaians are being encouraged by certain persons who are members of political parties to register as voters,” Dr. Asare stated. He urged the national leadership of political parties to dissuade their local executives from such practices.
“We continue to receive reports that minors and non-Ghanaians are being encouraged by certain persons who are members of political parties to register as voters… We beseech the national leadership of the political parties to discourage their executives in the regions and the constituencies from transporting minors and foreigners to the registration centres. The objective of the Commission as always has been to have a credible register for the 2024 elections.”
“We believe the political parties, as the main stakeholders in the general elections, must be dedicated to supporting a credible register as well. Consequently, we find attempts by parties to support the registration of minors and foreigners completely unacceptable and aimed at undermining the country’s electoral democracy,” he added.
