The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have distanced themselves from the Electoral Commission's (EC) claims that political parties are encouraging minors and foreigners to participate in the limited voters’ registration exercise.In a press conference, the EC stated that minors and foreigners had exploited the guarantor system with the assistance of some political party members. Dr.

0

Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairperson of the EC, emphasized the importance of a credible register and expressed concerns that including unqualified individuals would undermine their efforts.However, NDC’s Deputy General Secretary, Mustapha Gbande, in an interview with the media, stated that political party agents had challenged individuals suspected of being ineligible, asking them to provide documents proving their age.

1

He argued that such challenges were part of a natural process and criticized the EC for accusing political parties without addressing their own internal issues.Gbande emphasized that the NDC dissociated itself from accusations of bussing in minors, asserting that the registration procedure, when followed lawfully, was sufficient to detect ineligible voters.

2

On the other hand, NPP's Deputy General Secretary, Haruna Mohammed, denied the accusations and claimed that the NDC supported the registration of minors. He cited instances where NDC agents allegedly pushed for the registration of a 14-year-old. Mohammed supported the EC's call to discontinue the guarantor system and advocated for a more robust system, solely relying on Ghana Cards, to ensure a clean voter

3

register.

4