NPP ‘comfortable’ with stolen biometric voter machines

The case of the missing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits at the Electoral Commission (EC) has unveiled a stark contrast in reactions from political actors.

While, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) persistently raises concerns and refuses to relinquish suspicions surrounding the vanished machines, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) maintains an uncharacteristic silence.

Key figures within the NPP, including National Chairman, Stephen Ntim, General Secretary Justice Kodua, and National Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye, known as “Nana B,” have chosen to remain tight-lipped, despite the potential ramifications of the stolen devices falling into the wrong hands.

The NPP’s reluctance to address the issue, raises questions about its objective stance and the possible implications for the party’s interests.

The latest outing of the NDC, had its National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, saying that until the EC provides them with the serial numbers of the devices to ensure transparency, the Commission’s motives will remain tainted in their eyes.

He made these remarks at a press conference yesterday, Thursday, May 9, in Accra, calling the EC’s credibility into question, as he expressed reservations about the EC’s trustworthiness in light of the theft of biometric voter registration kits.

“We raised an issue, and the electoral commission came in quickly to the rubbish they claim that we still nevertheless call for an emergency IPAC meeting to deal with that issue but these questions remain unanswered,” he said.

Earlier in April this year, the NDC Director of Elections, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, said the EC was not committed to ensuring that key stakeholders know the full extent of the alleged theft.

As a result, Dr Omane Boamah, said that the assurances of the EC that the theft will not pose a threat to the integrity of the 2024 general elections cannot be trusted.

“The EC’s attempt to lie to the good people of Ghana that BVRs weren’t missing itself was also disingenuous when in actual fact at IPAC, it became obvious that even some BVDs are also missing,” he said.

“The EC’s attempt to lie to the good people of Ghana that BVRs weren’t missing itself was also disingenuous when in actual fact at IPAC, it became obvious that even some BVDs are also missing,” he said.

“We will file an RTI on this. We will also send the questions officially, one more time to the EC and we will push to the farthest extent. As our national chairman has indicated, an independent audit of the EC’s IT system will be non-negotiable,” Dr Omane Boamah added on JoyNews’ Newsfile on April 14^th, this year.

However, the EC’s Director of Public Affairs, in press release of such information could trigger a security risk.

In a statement released on May 9, 2024, the EC emphasized the critical role of BVR Kits in the electoral process, highlighting their unique serial numbers essential for generating activation codes and tracking their location and movement.

Hence, divulging these serial numbers to external parties, including political entities like the NDC, poses a significant risk to the security and integrity of registration processes.

But Asiedu Nketia believes the reluctance of the EC to give in to their call further entrenches their belief of an ulterior motive ahead of the 2024 election.

“The NDC has always been suspicious that the stolen kits could be used to illegally register some people in order to add them to the voters register to enable them to vote on December 7, 2024. That remains our suspicion,” he said.

“That underlines all the precautionary measures we are trying to take to forestall that one and give everybody peace of mind including the Electoral Commission and the New Patriotic Party that is in power.”

Mr Nketiah further expressed surprise by what he sees as the Commission’s lackadaisical posture towards the NDC’s efforts at safeguarding the registration process.

“Why is the EC resisting and stopping NDC registration agents from recording the serial numbers of BVR kits. The question is what does the EC have to hide.. What is their fear over the recording knowing very well that some have been stolen under their watch. We are saying let us track and protect those that are stolen and you are resisting, are you not part of thieves?” he quizzed.

But Johnson Asiedu Nketia, will have none of that.

“Therefore the EC cannot expect the NDC to believe and trust that all is well with their equipment and their preparations getting into the 2024 December election,” he said.

“We must keep vigilance on every step that EC takes moving towards the December election.

Mr Nketia emphasized that trust should not be the sole foundation for any election, particularly considering the EC’s critical role in upholding transparency and fairness.

He underscored the NDC’s lack of confidence in the EC’s BVRs and readiness for the upcoming December 2024 election, urging increased vigilance in monitoring the commission’s activities.

He emphasised that this is precisely why we turn to equipment and IT systems—to minimize our dependence on human trust.

He noted that members of parliament petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to initiate an independent, non-partisan investigation into the theft of biometric equipment from the EC of Ghana.

“We all know that parliament has had to go on break abruptly, so again not much progress has been made along that path,” he added Mr. Nketia further stated that the NDC has consistently harbored suspicions that the stolen kits might be utilized for illicit voter registration, potentially adding individuals to the voter register to enable them to vote in December 2024.

“This suspicion underscores all the precautionary measures the party is endeavoring to implement to prevent such occurrences and provide peace of mind to all stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission and the ruling New Patriotic Party.