The New Patriotic Party,(NPP) has called on the Electoral Commission,(EC) to extend the ten (10)day period allocated to National Health Insurance card holders to have their names back on the voter roll.
The party is urging the EC to offer those deleted from the voter roll 21 days to do so, adding it should be con-current with the exhibition period.
This, the party insisted would afford a considerable amount of time to those who either by their work schedule or late notification had not done so to be captured.
The EC, the party claimed have not been able to get those names they deleted back on the voter roll, stressing that in Ashanti only 30% of such people had been recaptured as at the time of the briefing.
Addressing a hugely patronized press conference at the party’s Subin parliamentary aspirant’s office, Bernard Antwi- Boasiako, Ashanti Regional Chairman for the NPP stressed many risked being disenfranchised due to the short date the EC has provided for the exercise.
The Chairman, flanked by other regional executives and parliamentary aspirants indicated the preparedness of the party to ensure all who were deleted for no fault of theirs were recaptured onto the voter roll.
NUMBERS:
Mr Boasiako, in a startling revelation, hinted 1,700 people had been removed from the voter roll in the Atwima Mponua constituency of the Ashanti Region.
Strangely, as at Tuesday, only 100 people out of the 1,700 had had the opportunity to be recaptured on the voter roll, the NPP regional chair claimed.
He intimated no potential voter should be denied the opportunity to get his or her name on the register when such person had not broken any law.
However, the Regional Chairman, noted the party’s resolve to ensuring it facilitates the movement and transportation of potential voters to the registration centers.
APPEAL:
Speaking later at the function, Mr Sam Pyne, the Ashanti Regional Secretary rallied civil society and religious groups to join the NPP in calling for an extension of the period for the registration.
According to him, the ten(10) days that had been given to the affected NHIS registrants was too short to ensure they are captured back on the voter roll.
Mr Eugene Boakye Antwi, Subin MP aspirant for the NPP said he had to ensure identified NHIS registrants in his constituency were aided to re-register.
He, therefore, called on stakeholder to take particular interest in urging the EC to extend the date of the exercise.
He maintained the least the EC could do was to ensure the re-registration time was same as the exhibition period to ensure no one was disenfranchised.
