General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) John Boadu says the action the party took to prevent foreigners especially Togolese nationals from participating in the voters’ registration exercise accounted for the huge reduction of numbers in some centres in the Volta and Oti Regions.
Mr Boadu says the NPP had to bring people from Togo to identify their own nationals and that exercise has been beneficial to Ghana.
Speaking on Majority Caucus on Joy News he revealed that some centres had about 50% of Togolese nationals but their agents kicked against it.
“At one polling station that we were, 50% of those who were selling around were Togolese and insisted we allow them to register, our agents kicked against it. We had to bring people from Togo to stand at the boarders to identify Togolese who want to enter and register. For some of these Togolese they think it is normal, they vote here, access health care, education here as well”.
The recent voters’ registration exercise was characterised by chaotic scenes which saw the NDC accuse the government of deliberately deploying military men at the boarders intimidate people from registering.
Even though the government denied and said it is only protecting the borders, the NDC said the government wanted to disenfranchise people in their strongholds which is the Volta and Oti Region.
Over the years there have been allegations that several Togolese nationals troop to the country through the Aflao board in the Volta Region and participate in electoral processes such as registration and voting.
In the just ended exercise some 14 persons who have allegedly entered Ghana illegally to apply for the voter’s identification card have been apprehended in Kpetoe in the Agotime-Ziope District of the Volta Region.
