The limited voter registration exercise took off after noon yesterday following a system failure that thwarted the start of the exercise across the country. Many of the registration centres, primarily limited to the district offices of the Electoral Commission (EC), recorded minimal figures as many prospective registrants had left by the time the registration system was fixed.
Before then, scenes of chaos and frustration had characterized the registration centres over the malfunctioning system, which prompted a high-level technical meeting of the EC to resolve the
issue.
Across the country, prospective registrants had been left frustrated for hours as they hung around in uncertainty for the start of the registration process. The situation, said to have been caused by technical glitches, led to prospective registrants leaving the various centres in Accra without going through the
process.
During a monitoring exercise, it was observed that as of 6 a.m., most of the registration centres at Ayawaso West Wuogon, Korle Klottey and Ayawaso Central were fully packed, with
applicants waiting to partake in the exercise.
However, as of 10 a.m., not even a single applicant had been registered, a situation that led to chaos, particularly between the party agents and the EC officials.
Some of the party officials accused the EC of a deliberate attempt to prevent them from registering, while others said the EC failed to do due diligence as tempers flared at some point.
At the EC’s headquarters, which hosted five registration centres, the agitation was intense, requiring the intervention of some party officials to calm the tension.