David Kumi Addo, Executive Director of Care for Free and Fair Elections (CARE-GHANA), has thrown his weight behind calls for an independent forensic audit of the 2024 voter register, citing a lack of trust in the Electoral Commission (EC).
During an appearance on ABC in the Morning, Addo stressed the importance of transparency, urging the EC to collaborate with stakeholders to review the voter transfer process.
“Some sort of audit must be done so that all will be satisfied in the sense that it was only the noticed issues, and that there are not more to what we are being told,” he said.
Addo also criticized suggestions for the EC to conduct the audit themselves, highlighting past assurances from the Commission.
“Prior to this discovery, the EC told us their system is robust, and there is nothing wrong with it,” he recalled. However, recent revelations have undermined confidence, leading to calls for an independent auditor.
“When it happens like this, it becomes very difficult for the impending parties to have trust and confidence in the ability of EC to do the work. That is why perhaps they are calling for an independent auditor to come in,” he added.
The call for scrutiny follows a ruling by the Kumasi Magistrate Court, which ordered the EC to reverse 580 names from the Manhyia South voter register after infractions were discovered.
The issue has drawn widespread attention, with Alan Kyerematen, leader of the Movement for Change (M4C), also pushing for a high-level Technical Working Group chaired by the EC to oversee the audit.
Additionally, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded an explanation from the EC after discovering alleged discrepancies, including over 243,000 illegal names on the transferred voter list.
