UG STUDENTS ANGRY OVER SLOW VOTER REGISTRATION

Posted on: www.dailyguigeghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

It has emerged that there is only one centre serving the numerous eligible students on the campus of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon, in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.

The 10-day exercise, which commenced on April 28, is open to Ghanaian citizens who have turned 18 years and those who are above 18 years but could not register in previous registration exercises, according to the Electoral Commission (EC).

Reports from Ghana’s premier university indicate that the EC officials are able to register less than 100 students per day, leaving many students, particularly would-be first time voters, frustrated.

According to the university authorities, there are over 14,000 first-year students alone, most of who qualify to register as voters, as well as other continuing students who could not register in previous exercises.

A source told DAILY GUIDE that “this whole thing seems like it is designed to register as small a number as possible. On Thursday, April 28, only 61 students were registered on Legon campus. Friday: 95, Saturday: 85 and Sunday: 92. At this rate less than 900 of the estimated 16,000 - 22,000 will be able to register on campus.”

A senior lecturer told DAILY GUIDE yesterday, “One registration centre for the entire student population is woefully inadequate,” and added that “it is making some of the students agitated.”

He also said, “The EC officials appear to be overwhelmed by the huge number of students who want to register. I am told they are not able to even register more than 100 people in a day and this gives cause for concern.”

Benkum SHS Stopped

Reports also say that about 500 students from Benkum Senior High School, Larteh, Akuapem, in the Eastern Region, have been prevented from registering their names.

The students are said to have moved to the Larteh Methodist Primary School registration centre with intent to register but the Municipal Chief Executive of the Akuapem North municipality, George Opare Addo aka Pablo and the Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong, allegedly stopped them.

The regional minister was said to have telephoned the headmaster of the school to order him to withdraw his students from the centre amidst protests from the teachers who had accompanied them to the centre.

The MCE and his team claimed the students were not 18 years of age and therefore not qualified to register.

This incident created a misunderstanding between the MCE and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) activists, who were at the centre.

The NPP parliamentary candidate for the Akuapem North Constituency, Nana Ama Dokua Asiama Adjei, who was called to the scene, bemoaned the conduct of the MCE.

One of the teachers, who accompanied the students to the centre, said that movement of the students to the registration centre was official.

"The school bus conveyed the students to the centre. And that as a matter of fact, administration screened the ages of the entire students body and these were found to have qualified to be registered to be able to exercise their franchise on November 7," the teacher said.

The commission has already announced the creation of more polling stations.