NDC primaries: Ashaiman polling centre awaits voters register
SCORES of National Democratic Congress (NDC) voters were locked out of the Celestial voting centre in Ashaiman awaiting the arrival of three supplementary registers said to contain the names of about 600 delegates including one of the parliamentary aspirants, Mr Ernest Norgbey.
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Over 13,000 voters from 34 polling zones of the 157 polling stations in the constituency are expected to cast their votes to elect one out of the six contestants seeking to represent the NDC in the 2016 general elections.
The situation created a standoff between the delegates and the police with the voters arguing to be allowed into the voting premises to form queues to await the arrival of the register.
The centre had been allocated six registers with an estimated 600 registered members expected to cast their ballots.
Polling officials at the centre have however worked with three since the start of voting at 7:am.
The Presiding Officer at the polling station, Mr Dennis Tetteh told Graphic Online that several contacts made with the Director of Elections of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Kobina Ade Coker to draw their attention to the fact that the centre had only three of the six registers designated for the centre were yet to be attended to.
Supporters mostly aligned to an aspirant, Mr Norgbey, who felt they were being disenfranchised have allegedly accused the Director of Elections for the constituency, Mr Worwui Brown of withholding the delegates register and calling for a police protection to enable him send the register to the station.
The angry supporters who charged on the police details at the centre asking them to call Mr Brown on the telephone and direct him to bring the register to the centre, also accused him of allegedly supporting the incumbent, Mr Agbesi, hence his decision to withhold the register to disenfranchise supporters believed to be opposed to his fourth term bid.
Incumbent
Mr Agbesi however debunked the allegation when he spoke to Graphic Online.
“I did not even know the register is in the possession of Mr Brown, because as at 11: am when we contacted the national headquarters after I visited the centre and received complaints from the electoral officers, we were told the other three registers had already been dispatched to the constituency”, Mr Agbesi said.
Constituency Executives
The Constituency Organiser, Mr James Vjay Agbogedenu also told the Graphic Online that the register went through the Electoral Commission but could not explained why the other three were left out during the distribution.
“The provisional register sent to the constituency had some challenges that ought to be addressed at the regional and national level, and when the final register was released, it didn’t go through the constituency office”, Mr Agbogedenu indicated.
Mr Agbogedenu indicated that such challenges were likely to occur considering that the delegates list has expanded from 628 to over 13,000 delegates.
Residents
Earlier in the day, there were near clashes with residents of Ashaiman Official Town, where the Celestial Voting centre is sited, after residents besieged the centre with their national voter’s identity cards asking to be allowed to vote.
They argued with the police and electoral officials when they were told the election was not a national exercise.
“This is the centre I vote in each election and I can therefore not be disenfranchised”, an angry resident who gave her name as Aunty Margaret charged.
The situation was so tensed that a military reinforcement from the First Battalion of Infantry (1BN) had to be called in to calm situations.