The Electoral Commission (EC) has once again rejected the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s request for a forensic audit of the Provisional Voters Register (PVR).
The EC argued that the legal and administrative processes designed to clean up the register have not been fully utilized, making a forensic audit unnecessary at this point.
This stance was communicated in a letter addressed to NDC Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, following the party’s petition submitted after their “Enough is Enough” demonstration on September 17, 2024.
The letter was also sent to key stakeholders, including the Majority and Minority Leaders of Parliament, civil society organizations, the diplomatic community, and religious bodies like the National Peace Council, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Chief Imam, and the Ahmadiyya Mission.
“The Commission believes that the established legal and administrative processes for cleaning the PVR have not been fully exhausted, and thus, a forensic audit is not justified at this stage. We urge the public to trust us in fulfilling our mandate,” the EC’s letter stated.
In the NDC’s petition, the party demanded an independent forensic audit of the Voters Register and its IT system. They sought to uncover irregularities such as unauthorized log-ins, data discrepancies, and system vulnerabilities.
Despite this demand, the EC defended its position by referencing Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) 91, which acknowledges that the PVR is a draft register. The EC emphasized that the Exhibition Exercise, as outlined in C.I. 91, is the proper mechanism to address errors, such as missing names, duplicates, or incorrect polling stations.
The EC assured that legal and administrative measures are in place to resolve any post-registration issues and reiterated that discrepancies in a provisional register are normal and expected, as no registration process is foolproof.