The Police in Tamale has arrested one Alhassan Abdullai Mohammed, a 44-year-old teacher believed to be a polling station agent of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the ongoing voter registration exercise in the Sagnarigu municipality.
According to the Northern Regional Crime Officer, the suspect dishonestly appropriated eight of Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) serialized Voter Registration Forms 1A to himself without the consent of the registration officer.
Supt Kwabena Otuo Acheampong said the suspect handed the materials in his possession to the police when he was picked up at one of the registration centres.
Abetment
The NPP mentioned one Nurudeen believed to be a contract staff of the EC as an accomplice of the suspect.
Accordingly, the governing party has urged the police to expedite their investigations and prosecute the suspect and other persons who may have abetted in the crime, to serve as deterrent to others.
The NPP Communication Director for the Northern Region, Mr Sule Salifu said what has happened has confirmed the fears of the governing party that the NDC is scheming to register foreigners.
He argued that the compilation of the new register is taking place because the EC and every Ghanaian believes the existing register is not the best, adding that, “we must not allow the NDC to cheat the system to compromise the integrity of this new register”.
Meanwhile, the NPP Director of Communication in the northern region told THE CUSTODIAN in Tamale that, the suspect was caught pants down through the vigilance of the NPP Regional Chairman, Mr. Baantima Mohammed Samba during his tour of registration centres in the Sagnarigu, Tamale North, Tamale South and Tamale Central constituencies.
According to Sule Salifu, the suspect who was caught red-handed endorsing the forms whilst making some anonymous calls, pleaded with the NPP Chairman not to hand him over to the police. He said the suspect wanted the chairman to protect his identity and integrity.
The NPP believes this is a grand scheme by the NDC to have names of foreigners registered in Ghana’s electoral roll for the December 2020 general election.
Mr. Sule noted that the Chairman became suspicious when he realized that some of the forms were already filled with guarantors’ forms attached.
“We are all well aware that the NDC vehemently opposed the new register and even went to court, little did we know they were harbouring other plans that are illegal to cheat the system.
“What we have seen today is a clear indication that the NDC has a grand scheme not only in this region but throughout the country to register foreigners into electoral database”, Mr Sule Salifu maintained.
Consequently, he has implored the National, Regional and Constituency Executives, most especially agents of the party at the registration centres to be very vigilant in policing the exercise. “What Chairman has seen here, we believe the NDC will be planning same in other regions but it is only vigilance and monitoring that we can unearth some of these criminal activities from the NDC”, he stated.
