New Voters Register Excellent Move By EC — Jacob Osei Yeboah

An aspiring Independent presidential candidate for the 2020 general election, Mr Joseph Osei Yeboah (JOY 2020), has commended the Electoral Commission (EC) for initiating steps to compile a new voters register ahead of the 2020 elections, describing the decision as an excellent move.

“I think the compilation of a new voters register will go a long way to ensure a free and fair election which we always preach. I believe there are ghost names in the register, hence the need for a new one. I don’t know why people are contesting this excellent move by the EC,” he said.

In a statement issued and copied to the Daily Graphic, Mr Yeboah called on all persons against the compilation of the new register to reconsider their decision.

Mr Yeboah commended the EC for saving the nation so much money, adding that the funds can be used to complete all the e-blocks started by the erstwhile Mahama administration.

Register opposition

The Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voters Register and some civil society organisations have kicked against a new register, insisting that it was a waste of time and a drain on the economy.

On the contrary, the EC insists that the country will save GH¢173 million if it opts for a new register and that upgrading or refurbishing the old biometric register will cost more.

LPG

For his part, the spokesperson for the political parties that support the compilation of a new register, Mr Kofi Akpaloo, said he did not trust the current register and was of the view that a new one would give the country free and fair elections.

He said he would win the 2020 election with a new register.

“I will win the 2020 elections and I want to win the elections genuinely. I don’t trust the current register and I believe a new one will give us free and fair elections,” he said.

EC

At a meeting with editors and senior journalists last week Thursday, the EC said the country would save as much as GH¢173 million with the acquisition of the new Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS).

It explained that the total cost of maintaining the old biometric system was $74, 364, 500 while the total cost for a new BVMS system was estimated at $56,000,000.

Those, it said, included Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits and the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs).