A cross-section of the TESCON members at KNUST
The parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Subin Eugene Boakye Antwi has debunked reports that he votes in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana during elections.
He said members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) were peddling lies just to cover up the recently exposed flawed voters’ register that has huge number of foreign names, especially Togolese nationals on it.
Speaking at a programme organized by TESCON KNUST in Kumasi, Mr. Antwi disclosed that the last time that he voted in the UK was in 2005 and since that time he had never voted overseas.
He explained that in the UK, Commonwealth nationals, legally residing in the country, are eligible to vote during elections, adding that he did not err in anyway in voting in the UK in 2005.
Mr. Antwi pointed out that Ghana’s constitution stipulates that a person could only vote during elections when he/she is a Ghanaian, attained 18 years voting age and of sound mind.
Ghana’s law is different from that of the UK therefore those who are fabricating wild rumours that he votes in Ghana and the UK at the same time should revise their notes, according to him.
The Subin NPP parliamentary aspirant said Ghana’s constitution does not permit foreigners to cast their ballot in the country, noting that Ghana’s bloated voter register should be replaced immediately.
Mr. Antwi observed that President Mahama wants to retain political power with the bloated voter register in 2016 after realizing that he had failed the country by mismanaging the economy.
“The NDC cannot win any credible elections in the country so they are using dubious means to hang onto political power, but their fiendish plans would not work in 2016,” he stated.
Mr. Antwi was confident Ghana’s bloated voter register would be replaced with a more credible one ahead of the 2016 elections, stressing that nothing could stop the compilation of a new voter register.
He charged the Electoral Commission (EC) to quickly address a petition presented to it with concrete evidence of multiple registrations.
The cost of a civil war far outweighs the cost of a fresh voter register and the NPP would sustain the heat on the EC until the electoral body does the right thing.
David Asante, leader of the Let My Vote Count Alliance, on his part, said civil society, pastors, former presidents and traditional leaders are now backing the idea of the compilation of a fresh voters’ register for Ghana in 2016.
He said no amount of intimidation or violent attacks against members of his group would coerce them to shut their mouths, indicating that his group is made up of bold and patriotic people who would always fight for their rights.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi