The Ghana Police Service (IGP) has assured security officers whose names are missing from the Special Voter’s list that they would have the opportunity to cast their votes on December 7.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander DCOP David Agyemang Adjem.
“I don’t think that this is peculiar to the police service alone. It is also seen that some other persons seen from the other security agencies have their names missing,” he said.
The assurance comes as several security officers, especially from the police and prisons who submitted their names for the Special Voting exercise, could not find their names on the list.
“We don’t know whether it is from our side or it’s from the side if the EC but I think what is important is that, at the end of the day, no officer who is supposed to vote is disenfranchised,” he told JoyNews’ Ohemeng Tawiah.
However, DCOP David Agyemang Adjem said officers would be assigned electoral security duties close to their polling stations to enable them participate in December 7 polls.
“The Police administration does not intend to disenfranchise any voter so the IGP this morning had given instructions that on the voting day, all officers whose names are missing must be allowed to vote before they go on duty on December 7,” he added.
On how feasible it would be for police officers who registered outside the region to vote, DCOP Adjem insisted that the officers would be allowed to vote whilst performing their electoral security duties there.
“We are in one jurisdiction, I mean we are the police service and it’s all for Ghana so I don’t think that it should create any big issues for us,” said.
The Special Voting exercise has so far been peaceful in Kumasi with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols, including handwashing, social distancing and use of hand sanitizers.
Some of the constituencies visited by the JoyNews team included the Police Canteen in the Subin Constituency, Ebenezer Methodist Church in Bantama, Bethel Methodist for Kwadaso as well as Ejisu and Patasi Police Depot in the Nhyiaeso Constituency.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Prisons Commander, DDP Samuel Owusu-Amponsah, is entreating Ghanaians to peacefully partake in the December 7 election.
DDP Owusu-Amponsah, who cast his ballot at the Kumasi Police Canteen, was happy at the smooth process after spending less than three minutes in the voting booth.