John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to expand the upcoming mop-up voter registration exercise beyond district offices to include remote areas that are difficult to access.
The EC’s mop-up exercise is scheduled to take place from August 1-3, 2024.
Mahama argues that extending the registration sites will allow eligible Ghanaians who have recently turned 18 or older to register during the mop-up exercise, thereby preventing voter suppression.
He made these comments during an interaction with Ghanaians known as ‘Mahama Conversations’ on Sunday, June 9, 2024.
“If this young lady or gentleman manages to secure two guarantors, pays for the transportation of the guarantors to accompany them to a registration centre and due to network failure and postponements, this young person is unable to register via the guarantor system, what is the likelihood that he or she can return another day to register with two guarantors?
“That leads to voter suppression. I will continue to urge the EC to prevent voter suppression by extending the mop-up exercise beyond its district offices to include all hard-to-reach areas.
“This will enable Ghanaians who have turned 18 or more to register from the 1st to the 3rd of August,” he said.
He reassured his supporters that any challenges with voting would not hinder his ultimate victory in the elections, emphasizing that his win would be a triumph for all Ghanaians.
“However, let me assure you that no matter the challenges or artificial mountains and obstacles they erect in your paths to prevent you from exercising your franchise, my victory in the polls shall be your victory. It shall be a victory for all the suffering Ghanaians,” he stated.