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Contrary to widely held opinions within the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the voting population in the Volta Region is actually declining has actually declined more than everywhere else in Ghana since 2000.According to Franklin Cudjoe the Executive Director of policy think-tank IMANI Africa, while the national average of the rate of increase of voters is almost 70% across the country since 2000, the Volta increased by only 40%.Ketu South, for instance, has seen a “mere” 40% increase in its voter population. This data flies in the face of the deployment of heavily armed soldiers to the Volta Region and Ketu South particularly, to prevent a supposed influx from Togo to boost the voter numbers there.Ketu South is the political stronghold of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).“Ketu South’s registered voter numbers have actually increased at a pace slower than the overall national average. In 2000, the constituency had about 98,000 registered voters on its roll. Today it has a little over 140,000. This is a “mere” 40% increase compared to the nearly 70% increase over the same period nationally. Or, to compare like to like, take Fomena, Ashaiman and Bekwai, which have seen a 60% increase over the same period,” Franklin Cudjoe analysed in a Facebook post. “In fact, the entire Volta Region (now plus Oti) has seen a less than 40% increase in their registered voter numbers compared to the 50% number seen in Ashanti or even more spectacular recorded in the Central Region over a two-decade period.”Several officials of the governing NPP have impugned possible over bloating of voter population in the Volta Region. On May 25, 2020, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, President Akufo Addo’s right-hand-man made a post on twitter raising suspicions about the voter population in the Volta Region, particularly Ketu South which appears to be the biggest NDC stronghold in the region.“Ketu South constituency [NDC stronghold] has 149,219 registered voters. Dome Kwabenya [NPP stronghold] follows with 144,624 registered voters, with Ledzokuku [swing constituency] 142,995 and Ablekuma Central, 137, 154 [NPP stronghold]. Discuss the economic and/or social activities which give Ketu South the largest electoral roll in Ghana,” Gabby wrote. Such sentiments are reportedly the reason why the Electoral Commission insisted on compiling a new voters’ register-to clean up these perceived bloated figures from the Volta Region and other places.Franklin Cudjoe has charged the EC that its new register is s fraudulent and worthless.The Jean Mensah led EC has described the register as the most credible in the history of Ghana and has applauded itself for a good work done after the voters registration exercise ended with a mop-up exercise on 9 August 2020.Franklin Cudjoe said the close to 17million eligible voters registered by the just-ended voters registration exercise goes to prove that the EC’s claim of over-bloating was baseless.The previous voters’ register contained approximately 16.8 million people while the new one has 17 million, proving that the EC had barely “cleaned up” 200,000 people from the register-taking into account those who may have died.  ReplyForward |