The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed says the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) demand for serial numbers of BVRs demeans its agents stationed at voter registration centres across the country.
According to him, the request implies a lack of trust in the competence and integrity of the NDC’s representatives, thereby undermining the party’s reputation.
This follows the NDC’s request for the Electoral Commission (EC) to release the serial numbers of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits, which are aimed at tracking the machines currently in use at the limited voter registration exercise across the country.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM show on May 10, 2024, he stated, “For me, I see this request as an insult to the agents of the NDC across all the 268 centres that we have because every agent of any political party is required to monitor and identify every registration machine.
“We have given them tally cards, full books of which particular machine would be identified. So, I am surprised at their asking for serial numbers. They know that the serial numbers of these machines are very pivotal in the security system of the Electoral Commission, so they are doing something they know; they know definitely what they want to use it for, and I think that it is going to be very dangerous for us,” he stated.
Mr Mohammed demanded the arrest of the individual responsible for spreading the rumour about the missing BVR equipment in the Electoral Commission office.
According to him, the individual’s claims have caused undue panic and confusion within the electoral process.
He noted that the NDC has propagated this misinformation, alleging that the EC’s request for packing the machines resulted in their disappearance, despite the EC’s assertion to the contrary.
“We are talking about missing BVR. For me I have called for the arrest of the person who has indicated that there is missing BVR in the Electoral Commission office because the NDC has said so and the Electoral Commission told you (that) they ask people to pack machines after registering were done. When they packed them and brought them, they were not up (to number).
“So, if they were not up and you sit down and say that the Electoral Commission is monitored by security personnel, police armoured cars, and those things, mind you, this was done in North Tongu. The North Tongu office is not manned by the military, and what have you done? These officers who were using it are temporary officers of the Electoral Commission.
“Could they be NDC that they took this particular machine, and they are to use them for their purpose and create the agenda that let us say the Electoral Commission has given out or these machines are missing? That is why I am saying that several people have to be arrested in this particular instance,” he noted.
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