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Like the playground bully, the Electoral Commission (EC) is insisting that nobody within or without the confines of the boundaries of Ghana could pressurise the organisation to re-orient itself towards the 2012 presidential elections, even though evidence on the ground clearly suggests that the process could be overtaken by events, unless the commission rises from its deep slumber and speeds up the process. With barely one year and a quarter to the make-or-break election, the tender process for the winner to bring in the equipment for the biometric registration exercise to begin, has not even been concluded. The Chronicle has learnt that even though an Accra Fast Track High Court has dismissed the suit brought against the commission by ICPS/OLIVETTI/GEMALTO/DERMALOG, the losing bidder has taken the issue to the Appeal Court. Without adjudication from the Court of Appeal, the biometric registration would be on hold. The court dispute arose out of the decision of the Electoral Commission to include two other companies, aside the recommended five submitted by the committee. The six-member committee was composed of Mr. Samuel Yorke Aidoo, Director of Finance, Mr. Albert Kofi Arhin, Director of Elections, Mr. Hubert Akumiah, Director of Information Technology, Mr. Muhammed Adoquaye, Director, HR & Gen. Services, Mr. Charles O. Addei, Director of Training, and Mr. Wilbert Nam-Katoli, Chief Accountant. In attendance as observers at the committee�s sittings were Mr. Amadu Sulley, Director of Research & Monitoring, Mr. Daniel Amanyo, Assistant Director, Elections, and Mr. Benjamin Nunoo. Political analysts are baffled by the inability of the Electoral Commission to involve an organisation like the Passport Section of the Foreign Affairs which is engaged in the biometric passport issuance. The court issue aside, political observers are worried about the unusual delay on the part of the Electoral Commission to seek the ratification of the Constitutional Instrument for the biometric registration from Parliament. The people�s representatives are on their long recess. It is believed that Parliament would reconvene towards the end of October. The Chronicle has been told that by convention, the laying of the Legislative Instrument would require a statutory 21 working days before Parliament would debate the issue, taking its passage well into next year. Expressing the sentiments of the People�s National Convention (PNC) on the long delay in getting the biometric exercise on course, Mr. Bernard Mornah, General Secretary of the party, was worried that the Electoral Commission�s time table towards the 2012 election was going to be thrown overboard. �There are doubts whether the EC can go ahead with the biometric registration exercise,� Bernard said. �The LI to back the registration exercise is not before Parliament yet. Neither are materials for the registration exercise in� hoping, however, that the EC would rally the needed support in order to put things in their right perspective. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is not that hopeful. �The registration is supposed to be biometric. That is to say, people cannot impersonate. But, for the exercise to be authentic there ought to be room for verification. It looks like the EC does not have the verification equipment to support the biometric exercise. As we speak, is not clear as to whether or not, there would be verification,� said Nana Akomea, Campaign Co-ordinator of the NPP 2012 Election, wondering whether the situation would not open the floodgates for people to vote twice or more. �The NPP is not at all amused by this development,� he stated. �The NPP is calling on the EC to call an IPAC (Inter-Party Consultative Committee) meeting to address the issue. Mr. William Dowokpor, Communications Director of the Convention People�s Party (CPP), told The Chronicle that the problem arising out of the biometric registration exercise was of major concern to the party. He wondered how the EC could go through with the biometric registration, given the time-span available before the 2012 elections. �We are calling on the EC to be forthcoming and transparent in its dealings. The biometric registration is a good exercise. We all support it. But, the EC should make sure that all political parties are involved, and things are done properly.� He suggested to Parliament to treat the LI as urgent, and deal with it in the same manner it handled the $3 billion Chinese loan under a certificate of emergency, when it is presented before the House. �We want the EC to really backup,� he stated. The Communications Director of the Cockerel Family said it was unfortunate that political parties were barred from participating in the meetings that selected the company to be entrusted with the procurement of equipment for the biometric exercise. �What is important is that the process towards the 2012 elections was free. It was fair, and that we all we all have confidence in the process from beginning to the end,� Mr. Dowokpor stressed. When The Chronicle contacted National Organiser of the NDC for the party�s submission on the issue, Mr. Yaw Djan asked this paper to call back in five minutes time, during which he would give us the contact number of one of the NDC spokespersons on the biometric vote. When we did so, he did not answer back. According to Mr. Christian Owusu-Parry, Ag. Head of Public Affairs of the Electoral Commission, verification was not part of the plans of the commission. �Biometric registration will be done long before the election, and even if verification will be done, that will be at the last minute. At the moment, verification is not part of the EC�s plan,� he told Okay FM, an Accra-based private radio station.