The Electoral Commission (EC) has urged former President John Dramani Mahama to encourage the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to engage in discussions to address the alleged discrepancies in the provisional voters register.

During a press conference held in Accra on Thursday, September 12, 2024, Deputy Chairman of Operations, Samuel Tettey, made a direct appeal to the former President.

He emphasized that dialogue, rather than protests, is the most effective approach to ensuring the credibility of the 2024 Voters Register.

“The EC believes that the best way to ascertain the credibility and integrity of the 2024 Voters Register is at the discussion table, not on the streets. Taking to the streets will not ensure a credible register. It will only cause tensions and suspicions which are unwarranted.

“We call on the former President, His Excellency John Mahama, an eminent and respected statesman of the Republic, to encourage and bring his party to the table as that is the best place to address issues and ascertain the truth regarding the Voters Register.

“We are confident that the former President will heed our calls and do everything in his power to bring his party to the discussion table. On our part, we assure the NDC of a transparent process that would demonstrate to them that all their concerns have been resolved.”

He called on Mahama, describing him as a "respected statesman," to persuade his party to join the talks, where concerns over the register can be properly addressed.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has emphasized the importance of former President John Mahama bringing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the discussion table, noting the party’s failure to provide evidence of alleged discrepancies in the Provisional Voters Register.

According to the EC, during a meeting on September 6, 2024, the NDC promised to share details of these discrepancies but has since failed to do so despite multiple requests.

The EC highlighted that five concerns were raised by the NDC in the meeting, but the party subsequently informed the public that the EC had rejected its request for a forensic audit of the voters' register.

In response, the NDC announced plans for a nationwide demonstration on September 17, citing the EC's refusal to conduct the audit. However, during a press conference on Thursday, Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman of Operations, clarified that the EC had requested the NDC to provide evidence of the alleged discrepancies, but no such documentation was shared despite multiple follow-ups.

Tettey also refuted allegations from the NDC that the EC had added 50,000 ghost names to the register, dismissing these claims as unfounded.

“We have also noted comments from the NDC alluding to ghost names in the register. We are aware that there may be dead persons on the register because several persons die each year. One of the key purposes of the Exhibition Exercise is to allow relatives of the dead to initiate the process of expunging their names from the Register. The NDC indicated at the meeting that it had identified some 50,000 persons who were dead on the Register.

“The Commission once again requested the details of the 50,000 dead persons and assured the NDC that it would work with the District Assembly and Birth and Death Registry to expunge the names from the Register. As with the data on the discrepancies identified by the NDC, we are yet to receive the list of the dead.”

The EC assured the public of its dedication to delivering a robust and credible voters' register for the upcoming elections.

The EC assured the Public of its commitment to providing a robust and credible register for the elections: