Opposition Parties Rock Kumasi With “Yempini” Demo against New Voters’ Roll

The second leg of the nationwide demonstrations planned by the Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voters’ Register came off in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional Capital.

Thousands poured into the streets of the garden city under the banner “Yenpini” (We will not accept) and marched amidst the chanting of war songs and hoisting of placards against the Electoral Commissioner.

Among others, some of the placards proclaimed that EC Chair, Jean Mensah, and her Deputy, Bossman Asare, are on an agenda to rig the elections for the ruling NPP hence the intransigent decision to see through the compilation of a new voters register in spite of the unpopularity of the idea.

Leaders of the demonstration included Mr. Bernard Mornah, National Chairman of the Peoples National Convention, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Director of Elections of the NDC and Mr. Kwesi Paratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper.

Member of Parliament for Elembele Constituency, Hon. Armah Kofi Buah, warned in an address that the EC’s intransigence over the decision to compile a new register is due to the fact that Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare have an agenda to rig the polls for the NPP.

“You used this register for the district assembly elections with no hitches, you use it to elect Nana Addo, we are currently embarking on National identification executrices, huge amount of money. This intended exercise is simply intended to rig the election in 2020 in favor of the NPP and we believe that it is going to throw this country into chaos.”

According to him, the approval of Ghc444million to the EC by Parliament for the purpose of compiling the new register had nothinmg to do with the Minority in Parliament, and that only the NPP Majority in Parliament passed that vote..

On his part, PNC National Chairman, Bernard Mornah, said the current register is good enough to be used for the December elections and that the robustness of the current system was proved by the EC itself.

Consequently, he said, any attempt to introduce a new register will be resisted. “The current voters roll has produced for us two Presidents, President John Dramani Mahama and President Nana Akufo-Addo. Any attempt to bring a new register, in the face of all the suspicion and tensions will be resisted. The Electoral Commission must be sensitive to the will of the people of Ghana.”

Today’s demonstration in Kumasi was a follow up to the first one which took place in Tamale two weeks ago. The Tamale one was dubbed “Tikusayi.”