Ato Forson Demands Forensic Audit of Voters’ Register

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, demands a forensic Audit of the voters’ Register and has expressed scepticism regarding the reliability of the recently displayed voters’ register by the Electoral Commission.

This comes after the Deputy Chairman of the Commission responsible for Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, acknowledged the presence of errors in the register.

“In preparing for the 2024 Exhibition Exercise, the Absent Voters List and the Transferred Voters List mistakenly included all transfers made since 2020, when this Register was initially created. This has led to a higher-than-anticipated number of Absent and Transferred Voters.”

“This understandably may have caused some concern among our stakeholders, as highlighted by the press conference held by the NDC in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency of the Central Region.”

“We want to emphasise that the Provisional Voters Register is not the Final Voters Register. The main goal of the Exhibition Exercise is to rectify any discrepancies and issues with the Provisional Register before the Final Register is finalised. This has been the standard practice since 1992.”

“The Commission assures the public that, following the Exhibition Exercise, the Final Voters Register produced will be thorough and credible,” Dr Asare stated on September 2.

ALSO READ: Minority demands audit into payment for customers of collapsed Banks

However, while addressing Parliament on September 3, Dr Forson argued that the extent of the irregularities is unacceptable.

“Rt. Hon Speaker, the Electoral Commission has acknowledged that the Voter Register is fraught with irregularities and flaws. I must say that the magnitude of these irregularities suggests that someone may have tampered with the Voter Register database. I regret to inform you, Mr. Speaker, that we cannot guarantee the integrity of the Voters Register as it currently stands.”

” The details of the irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted. We therefore demand a forensic audit into the Voters Register database,” Dr Forson demanded.

Parliament is currently operating from the Grand Arena of the AICC (Forson Demands Forensic Audit of voters)
Please read the full statement below from the minority:

Let’s look at the observations and remarks by the minority leader in parliament, Cassiel Ato Forson, PhD. At an extraordinary meeting of parliament, and the reason why Forson demands a forensic Audit of the voters’ Register on Tuesday, 3rd September, 2024

1. Rt. Hon Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make these brief remarks at this emergency recall of Parliament.

2. This recall comes barely 95 days before the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

3. This recall that the NPP Majority has triggered is to enable them to fast-track and railroad tax giveaways to their crony businesses.

4. Rt. Hon. Speaker, let me state without any equivocation that the Minority’s position on these tax exemptions has not changed. We have always maintained that these tax exemptions are not in the best interest of the taxpayer.

ALSO READ: Dr Forson explains why Minority staged the boycotting of the approval of Ministerial Nominees

5. Our position has always been that until these exemptions are converted to tax credits or linked to equity shares as stipulated in the Tax Exemptions Act, we will not support giving away over $350 million to crony businesses in an opaque and non-transparent manner.

6. Rt. Hon Speaker, giving away inordinate tax exemptions is not an urgent issue that should warrant a recall of this House.

7. Ghana’s economy is still bleeding, the cost of living continues to be high and Ghanaians can simply not make ends meet.

8. These are the real bread-and-butter issues that should concern any serious government and not the giveaway of much-needed tax revenue.

9. As we speak, COCOBOD has been shut out from borrowing from international banks.

10. International Banks are running away from Ghana COCOBOD and the cocoa sector is on its knees.

11. Rt. Hon Speaker, the prevailing price of cocoa on the world market and the exchange rate means that COCOBOD will be selling a bag of cocoa at GHS9,700.

12. The cocoa farmer cannot be paid anything less than GHS6,000 per bag.

13. The payment of GHS6,000 per bag of cocoa is critical because cocoa farmers deserve the benefit of their hard labour.

14. Rt. Hon Speaker, the Electoral Commission has admitted that the Voter Register is riddled with irregularities and flaws.

15. I daresay that the scale of these irregularities is such that somebody may have tampered with the Voter Register database.

16. I am sorry Mr. Speaker, we cannot vouch for the integrity of the Voters Register as it stands.

17. The details of the irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted.

18. We therefore demand a forensic audit into the Voters Register database.

19. In conclusion, Rt. Hon Speaker,

• The mood of the country
• The state of our people
• The state of our healthcare and education
• The state of our water bodies and our environment
• The cost-of-living crisis we are going through
• The deplorable state of our economy
• The free fall of the Ghana Cedi and
• The unemployment situation

These are the very things that should guide us in every decision we take in this House.

20. Our decisions should be people-centred. It should not be about us. It should be about the Ghanaian people. It should be Ghana First!

21. Mr. Speaker, Ghana is in crisis.

22. Rt. Hon Speaker, I thank you.