Prof. Smart Sarpong has slammed the opposition National Democratic Congress for demanding that the Electoral Commission should share the serial numbers of their biometric machines with the party.
The National Democratic Congress accuses the Electoral Commission (EC) of trying to connive with the ruling New Patriotic Party to rig the December polls and retain them in power.
They also hold the position that the EC is manipulating the ongoing limited registration exercise, therefore they demand the serial numbers of the Biometric Voter Registration(BVR) kits currently deployed in the field but the Commission has refused to share the numbers with the party, stating it will compromise the integrity of the registration exercise.
The commission, in a response to the NDC said; “The commission wishes to highlight that the integrity and security of our electoral process are paramount. Each BVR kit, as a critical component of this process, is assigned a unique serial number. This number plays a crucial role in the operation of these devices, particularly in the generation of activation codes essential for their functionality as well as tracking their location and movement.”
Commenting on the issue during a panel discussion on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show, Prof. Smart Sarpong, a Senior Researcher, sided with the EC for refusing to share the numbers with the NDC.
He noted that releasing the numbers is akin to giving the NDC the BVRs to operate in their homes.
He argued that the machines “whether missing or not, I think the NDC is demanding too much if they go for the serial number…because having the serial number of the gadget is just as having the machine”.
Prof. Sarpong urged the opposition party not to interfere with the work of the Electoral Commission, stressing “give the EC some independence to do their job”.
Source: peacefmonline.com
