The Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North Constituency in the Eastern, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah has called on the Electoral Commission (E.C) to rescind its decision by conducting the limited voters registration exercise for the new voters’ at their various District Offices across the country.
According to her, there are over 575 communities in Afram Plains North of which 222 are being located on the Volta Lake. Again, the constituency has 31 electoral areas and 127 polling stations and out of this number, 13 electoral areas and 54 polling stations are located on the various Islands.
The E.C has set September 12 to October 2, 2023 for the exercise.
Betty Mensah further revealed, that only reliable means of transport are boats, canoes, and ferries.
To access the District Capital, the constituents have to travel several kilometres on water and commute by road to Donkorkrom.
“Constituents who live on Agordeke (Digya Island) for instance have to travel by boat for about 8-10 hours to get to the river bank at Supom ( Bridge Ano) and then continue for over 25km distance by road to the District Capital, and before they will get to Donkorkrom for the registration they would have to spent close to over GH¢300.00 on transportation, where would the 18yrs old young boys and girls get that money from?”, she asked.
The Afram Plains North Lawmaker therefore appealed to the Electoral Commission through its chairperson, Jean Mansa to as a matter of urgency to review the registration modalities for Afram Plains North in consultation with the District Inter-Party Committee by creating registration centres on all the Islands to facilitate the registration of voters instead of moving to their District Office in Donkorkrom to get their names registered.
She told Kingdom FM’s KONTIHEN KOFI OBOH when they organized empowering democracy press briefing on Wednesday, August 23,2023 at Donkorkrom.
She indicated also that by so doing, all eligible voters who have turned 18yrs old and above in the constituency will get their names registered to be able to take part in 2024 general elections.
“I was disappointed when I heard the EC announced on Thursday, August 17, 2023 in their press conference held in Accra that, only their District Offices has been designated as a registration centres for the purposes of the upcoming registration”, she noted.
Betty Nana Efua Mensah then entreated the people of Afram Plains North to exercise restraint because she has petitioned the EC to re-look at its decision so that all those living on the Volta Lake wouldn’t be disenfranchised to exercise their voting right in the 2024 general elections.
Some of the Assemblymen who joined the press briefing also spoke to KONTIHEN KOFI OBOH and begged the E.C to withdraw that decision to enable all the eligible voters to get their names registered other than that they would be disenfranchised to be part of the 2024 general elections.
By// Kontihen Kofi Oboh.
Source// Obohnewsonline.com.
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