Court restrained EC from registering Kasena voters(D/G November 27,2012)

The Electoral Commission (EC) has explained that its failure to register some prospective voters in the Navrongo Central Constituency stems from the fact that a court injunction restrained it from doing so. The Upper East Regional Director of the EC, Mr Bruce Ayisi, told the Daily Graphic in Bolgatanga that following disagreements over the naming of the electoral area, residents of the area boycotted the biometric voters registration exercise. He, however, said the Accra Fast Track High Court, on October 18, 2012, ordered the EC to take steps to register the people of the Atosali-Azaasi Electoral Area under the same name, Atosali-Azaasi Electoral Area, following a suit initiated by a resident. However, Mr Ayisi said, another resident of one of the affected electoral areas also filed a motion for stay of execution, for which reason the EC had to suspend the exercise till date. He said as a result of the legal tussle, which is yet to be determined, the people of the Atosali-Azaasi Area did not have their details captured in the voters register and would, therefore, miss the opportunity to participate in the December 7, 2012 general election. During the biometric voters registration exercise, residents of the Akurugu Daboo Electoral Area said they were not happy with the change of name of the area from Akurugu Daboo to Atosali-Azaasi by persons they believed were settlers in the community without their consultation. As a result, they failed to partake in the exercise and the case was sent to court. In 2010, the people of the Atosali-Azaasi Electoral Area, as a result of the disagreement over the naming of the electoral area, failed to participate in the district assembly election and so they did not have an elected representative in the Kassena-Nankana East Municipal Assembly. There are 97 polling stations in the constituency, out of which those likely not to be involved in the elections are the Akurugu Daboo Primary School, Azaasi Primary School, Gayingo Primary School, Doba JHS and Doba Primary School polling stations. Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh