EC urged to tackle cross border registration

Ms Veronica Anai, Ho Central Constituency Women’s Organizer of  the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has alleged that persons claiming to be  Ghanaians, were coming from neighbouring Togo to  some border communities in the Ho Municipality to register in the on-going biometric voters registration in Ghana.

She, therefore, called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to come out with clear guidelines for handling cases of persons claiming to be  Ghanaians, who might come from neighboring countries to register in the voters’ registration exercise.

Ms Anai alleged that such people some of whom could indeed be Ghanaians were being guided by some politicians to register in the registration exercise even though they have Togolese Voters Identity Cards as well.

She raised the concern at the Atikpui R.C Primary School Registration Centre during an observation tour of some border communities in the Municipality by a team of journalists.

Ms Anai said Atikpui is a border community in Ghana separated from Togo by River Tordze, and indicated that: “This is a case of dual citizenship of a sort, which must be discussed and parameters of managing it determined”.

She said three people, who crossed over from Togo to Atikpui to register as voters without any Ghanaian identification document, were prevailed upon to abandon the attempt.

At the R.C. Lower Primary Registration Centre at Shia, also a border community, Mr Martin Kportufe, a registration officer, said one person’s registration had been challenged on suspicion of being a non-Ghanaian.

The registration officer said he was sure supposed Ghanaians across the border in Togo, were “only waiting for one or two of their colleagues to come over to register as a cue for them to troupe in.”

Source: GNA