Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster, a member of the Alliance for Revolutionary Change (ARC), has expressed serious concerns over the inability of independent presidential candidates to access the 2024 voter register.
He argues that the current situation, where the Electoral Commission (EC) has provided the provisional voter register exclusively to political parties, unfairly sidelines independent aspirants in the lead-up to the general elections.
The EC had earlier released the provisional voter register to political parties on August 19, following pressure from various political actors who demanded timely access for review. However, Dr. Abu Sakara, in an interview on JoyNews, described it as “unfortunate” that independent candidates have been excluded from this crucial process.
According to Dr. Abu Sakara, it is essential for the electoral field to be levelled, ensuring that all candidates, whether independent or representing political parties, have equal access to critical electoral information. He called on the EC to rectify this imbalance by providing the voter register to independent candidates by Monday, September 2.
“Everybody should have the same opportunity for slotting in the ballot box,” Dr. Abu Sakara emphasized. He pointed out the growing public distrust in the bipartisan system, evidenced by the increasing number of independent candidates. “The Electoral Commission being the referee should ensure that it adapts its processes to give all the contestants a fair chance,” he added.
Since the provisional voter register was made available to political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has flagged several “very serious discrepancies” in the document, including missing names, incorrect placements of qualified voters on exception lists, and instances of disqualified voters appearing on the main register.
These concerns have led the NDC to request an emergency meeting with the EC, although the Commission has maintained that the voter register is both robust and credible.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, the NDC’s presidential candidate, has also expressed caution, urging the EC to address any inaccuracies to avoid confusion during the elections.
In light of these issues, Dr. Abu Sakara, who has formed an alliance with independent presidential hopeful Alan Kyerematen, leader of the Movement For Change, insists that independent candidates must be given the same access to the voter register.
This, he argues, is essential to ensuring that all candidates can fairly participate in the upcoming elections without any bias or undue advantage for any particular group.