A group of young people threaten to stop the partial election of Ayawaso West Wuogon

General News on Friday, January 25, 2019

Source: 3news.com

2019-01-25

A youth development group threatened to use legal means to end the partial election of Ayawaso West Wuogom if the Electoral Commission did not register all the people who had 18 years in their constituency.

The EC has set January 31 as the partial by-elections in the constituency following the death of the region's deputy, Emmanuele Kyeremateng Agyarko, in November of last year.

Four people, including New Patriotic Party candidate Lydia Seyiram Alhbadan and Delali Kwasi Brempong of the National Democratic Congress, were authorized by the EC to run in the by-election.

However, according to the Youth Bridge Foundation, the BOI can not proceed to the by-election without first organizing a restricted voter registration exercise for electors who, after the December 2016 general election , were 18 years old.

"[We] wishes to express its deep concern over the potential attempt to deregulate some young Ghanaian citizens in the constituency of Ayawaso West Wuogon who turned 18 years after the 2016 general election, "said the group in a statement.

Citing Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution and the 2013 Report of the Electoral Reform Committee, the group argued that the law requires the EC to revise the voter register annually and before all elections.

Despite this, he said that, over the years, the EC had not respected its mandate, which it observed seems to be institutionalized.

"This act of neglect and abandonment of duty should never be punished, as it testifies to the Commission's commitment to youth participation in the electoral process in Ghana," the group said.

According to the group, this time it will not be "inactive" on the part of the EC to "blatantly deprive the vote" of the population of Ayawaso West Wuogon by its omission or commission.

She therefore urged the EC to urgently conduct a limited registration exercise in the constituency of Ayawaso West Wuogon in order to register all persons who are 18 years old since December 2016.

Failure by the EC to comply with the law, the group said, will force them to "seek redress from the appropriate authorities".

The headquarters of Ayawaso West Wuogon became vacant following the death of the local deputy Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.

Mr. Agyarko, who would have turned 61 on December 10, 2018, died on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 in the United States, where his family took him for medical treatment.