By: Evans Attah Akangla| ignewss| Ho
The Member of Parliament for Ho Central constituency has raised concerns about the Electoral Commission’s readiness for the ongoing limited voter registration.
Hon. Benjamin Kpodo highlighted issues such as network problems and the absence of backup generators at registration centers, hindering the smooth progress of the exercise.
During his visit to a registration center on the second day of the exercise, he expressed surprise at the interruption caused by a power outage despite assurances from the Electoral Commission about standby generators.
He emphasized that these challenges were not unique to Ho alone but were experienced in other parts of the country, casting doubt on the overall preparedness of the EC.
“Yesterday wasn’t good due to their system failure and today exercise was ongoing smoothly until they started encountering the network challenges and the power outage these are the problems although not Ho alone but other parts of the country and this is bringing into questions the general preparedness of the EC into this exercise because they have said they will manage to provide the standby generators for each center” Hon. Kpodo said.
The MP, who had to resort to renting a private standby generator for the station, urged the EC to reevaluate its strategy and rely on field reports from its directors to ensure seamless operations.
He also mentioned the provision of buses to transport individuals from remote communities to registration centers, including those at the Municipal EC offices or the University of Health and Alliance Sciences (UHAS).
Furthermore, he revealed plans for mobile registration centers to be set up in other areas of the Constituency before the exercise concludes on May 27.
He cautioned minors against attempting to register, emphasizing that the Constitution prohibits their participation until they reach eighteen.
Despite technical challenges on the first day of the exercise, approximately 154 individuals registered at the Regional Office and the UHAS campus.
Municipal EC Director Nana Oduro expressed confidence in the smooth progress of the exercise, citing adequate resources and trained officials. He also noted the orientation provided to political parties, expecting their cooperation throughout the registration process.
Source: www.ignewss.com|Ghana