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General Secretary of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Razak Kojo Poku has endorsed position of the Electoral Commission and the Independent Panel set up by the Commission to look into the concerns and views of stakeholders on the 2012 Voters’ Register.

According to him, the decision to maintain the 2012 Voters’ Register by the Independent Panel should be accepted considering the closeness of the 2012 general election.

The opposition said it had discovered over 70,000 non Ghanaians in the register and must compile again. But the governing National Democratic Congress insisted there was no point for a new register. At best the party called for the auditing of the existing register to weed out names and persons who were not qualified to be on the register.

In the heat of the controversy the EC organized a two day forum to collate views from all stakeholders in order to take a decision on whether to maintain the register as it is or compile a new one.

Weeks after the forum, the committee submitted its report to the EC on the 31st December, 2015, recommending that the Commission proceed with the current register.

"The Panel finds the arguments for a new register unconvincing and therefore does not recommend the replacement of the current voters’ register; the Panel is of the view that the responsibility for having a clean and credible register is the shared responsibility of all citizens of Ghana," the EC issued a statement”.

But in statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, the UPP Chief Scribe admitted though that his party was in support for the compilation of new Voters’ Register for the 2016 general election, a careful deliberation on the report submitted by the Independent Panel makes his party to fully support and wholly accept the recommendations made in the report.


Below Is the United Progressive Party (UPP's) statement:


UPP Support EC Decision On The 2012 Voter’s Register

The United Progressive Party wishes to congratulate the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Independent Panel set up by the Electoral Commission to look into the concerns and views of stakeholders on the 2012 Voter’s Register.

UPP was in support for the compilation of new Voter’s Register for the 2016 general election BUT carefully deliberating on the report submitted by the Independent Panel to the Electoral Commission and copied all Political Parties and also considering the closeness of the 2016 general election, UPP fully support and wholly accepts the recommendations made by the Independent Panel set up by the Electoral Commission. We also fully endorse the decision and firm position taken by the Electoral Commission on the 2012 Voter’s Register.

But we hope that towards the 2020 general election, the Electoral Commission and Government through the National Identification Authority, Birth and Death Registry and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development should closely collaborate to compile a fresh, transparent, credible and very much trusted Voter’s Register together with Electronic Voting for the 2020 general election.

…Signed…