Attempts by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to implicate the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the controversy surrounding the missing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits and Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) have been exposed.
According to Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B), NPP’s National Organizer, information from credible sources indicates that the opposition party intended to plant some of the missing devices (Laptops), which are currently in their possession, at the offices of the NPP in various parts of the country.
The NDC planned to accompany selected media houses to these locations to capture footage showing the missing devices purportedly found in NPP offices.
Nana B further indicated, some members of the NDC had foreknowledge of the theft of the BVR kits and had plans to steal components from 25 other BVRs, which, when assembled, could be used for voter registration.
It will be recalled that the Electoral Commission (EC) handed over some individuals suspected to be involved in the alleged theft of five laptops, which were part of the BVR kits, to the police in April this year.
This came to light after the EC admitted to losing some BVR kits, following allegations by the NDC.
The NDC minority in parliament was the first to announce the missing BVR kits on March 19, 2024, and called for urgent action from the police.
The party alleged the disappearance of seven biometric devices, expressing concern about potential ramifications for the upcoming December election.
However, at a press conference on March 20, 2024, the EC denied that Biometric Verification Devices were missing from its stores and clarified that it was actually five laptops, which were part of the BVR kits, that were stolen.
Subsequently, the NDC called on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to probe the EC’s unaccounted Biometric Verification Devices and parts of the BVR kits to ensure that the December polls are free and fair.
Later, the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, claimed that the stolen BVR kits could be used to illegally register people and add them to the voters’ register, enabling them to vote in the December 7 general elections.
Although the EC has debunked such claims, assuring Ghanaians that the missing laptops alone cannot be used for voter registration or verification, the NDC has remained insistent on its demands, including directing its registration agents across the country to acquire and transmit the serial numbers of the BVR kits used in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise to the NDC national office.
According to Nana B, the NDC’s insistence that the stolen BVR kits could be used to tamper with the elections is part of the party’s grand scheme to hide the kits in NPP offices and accuse the EC of colluding with the governing party to rig the 2024 general elections.
This strategy is reminiscent of the 2008 plot where members of the NDC in the Akwatia Constituency snatched ballot boxes from polling stations and left one of the boxes at the house of an NPP constituency executive. The party later called for the arrest of the NPP executive even after the police had apprehended eight members of the NDC for their involvement in the nefarious act.
Based on this alarming and dangerous situation unraveled by the National Organiser, Nana B is imploring all Constituency Executives, Regional Executives and all concerned Party stakeholders to remain very vigilant around the party’s nationwide offices to thwart the potential intrusion by the NDC.