The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stressed that missing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits could be used to illegally register voters, which might pose problems in the 2024 elections.
In April 2024, the Electoral Commission (EC) revealed that a number of BVR kits had been stolen from its possession.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, May 9, the NDC Chairman, Asiedu Nketia, said the EC’s refusal to provide serial numbers of the BVRs further enforces their suspicion.
He said this suspicion has influenced all the party’s preventive measures in preparation for the 2024 election.
“The NDC has always been suspicious that the stolen kits could be used to illegally register some people to add them to the voters register to enable them to vote on December 7, 2024. That remains our suspicion.
“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,” he said.
Therefore, he questioned the EC’s motives in trying to stop the NDC’s efforts to safeguard the ongoing voter registration exercise.
“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 questioned.
Responding to NDC’s request for the serial numbers of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits deployed for the limited voter registration exercise, the EC said releasing such information could trigger a security risk.
In a statement dated May 9, 2024, the EC stressed that considering the critical role of BVR Kits in the electoral process, divulging these serial numbers to the political parties poses a significant risk to the security and integrity of registration processes.
“Serial numbers could be used to facilitate fraudulent activities, including phishing attacks, where a criminal with the serial number can trick EC personnel into believing they are registration officials, potentially leading to unauthorized disclosures and access to sensitive information,” the EC said.