A spokesman for Alan Kyerematen’s Alliance for Revolutionary Change (ARC) Movement, Solomon Owusu has urged the National Security to pick up the commissioners of the Electoral Commission (EC) led by Jean Mensa in connection with the alleged theft of five Biometric Verification Registration (BVR) devices.
The election management body, after series of denial, recently confirmed that some of its BVRs had been stolen from its stores, raising eyebrows in the country. As the main opposition NDC mounted pressure on the EC to find the equipment, the Commission reported that some staff had been interdicted in connection with the stolen BVRs.
Earler this week, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, told new men that the Commission had handed over some 5 individuals suspected to be involved in the alleged theft of the BVR devices to the police.
But speaking on Pampaso programme on radio Gold, Owusu said Charlotte Osei was ousted for alleged procurement breaches hence Jean Mensa must be fired for the missing devices from the EC’s warehouse.
“I think the National Security must pick Jean Mensa and her other commissioners at the EC over the missing biometric verification devices,” Owusu said as he alleged that the equipment had been given to some elements in the NPP to mar the integrity of the upcoming limited registration exercise and possibly the December 7 elections.
“One of the things they [the commissioners] can do is to resign for superintending over the activities that led to the theft of the equipment else the integrity of the general elections will be at stake.” he added. “Former EC Boss, Afari Djan is alive and can be handed a contract to over see the upcoming elections.”
To him, if the EC Boss is not removed from office, the results of the eletions can be compromised and plunge the country into chaos.
“I have heard that the missing equipmentn are in Kumasi and being used to secretly register people in Manhyia South,” he alleged and dared the NPP to deny the claim.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has challenged the Electoral Commission (EC) to publish names of its staff who have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of five Biometric Verification Registration (BVR) devices.
Speaking to JoyNews on April 13, Dr Quaicoe disclosed the police began investigating the matter about a month ago when the electoral body officially noticed the BVRs were missing.
“So they have been interdicted and they are now going through the security investigation. I am told that they will be arraigned before court soon. If they are found guilty, the law should deal with them,” he said while urging Ghanaians that there was no cause for alarm about the missing BVRs since they have not been activated.
But in a reaction to the development, Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC cast doubt over the assertions of Dr Quaicoe and urged the EC to publish the names of the staff who had been handed over to the police.
Speaking on Inside Politics on TV XYZ, Asiedu Nketia also known as General Mosquito quizzed: “Who are those people who have been arrested? have they published anyone’s name? Don’t they have names? Why have they not been exposed?”
“The persons who have stolen the equipment can register people elesewhere into the ECs database. We have seen NPP affiliated persons taken peoples’ Ghana card outside Ghana elsewhere. Tell us those you have apprehended,” he said in Akan.
Source: Myxyzonline.com
