News
Release provisional voter register now – NDC to EC
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding the release of the provisional voter register for the December 7 general elections to political parties ahead of the exhibition exercise.
“We strongly believe this lack of promptness exhibited by the EC is due to both incompetence and a deliberate attempt to dump a sub-standard Provisional Voter Register on political parties in a short period, to make it difficult for interested parties to critically peruse the register before the Exhibition starts, next week,” tDirector of Elections for the NDC, Dr Omane Boamah, in a post on Facebook.
He stated that the delay in the prompt release of the register is due to the EC’s incompetence and a deliberate attempt to provide a sub-standard register to political parties
Read full statement below
The EC must release the Provisional Voter Register (PVR) now!
With just six (6) days to the 2024 EXHIBITION of the Provisional Voter Register (PVR), political parties are yet to receive the register.
We strongly believe this lack of promptness exhibited by the EC is due to both incompetence and a deliberate attempt to dump a sub-standard Provisional Voter Register on political parties in a short period, to make it difficult for interested parties to critically peruse the register before the Exhibition starts, next week.
The EC wrote to the NDC on the 18th of July 2024, requesting that we bring an external drive (2 terabytes) for the PVR to be loaded for us.
We responded to their request by submitting the external drive with additional requests for all 16 regional register code books.
Unfortunately, for well over two weeks, the EC refused to honour their obligation per CI 91 as amended by CI 126.
Caught with this, the EC surprisingly wrote to us on the 8th of August 2024 now saying they will release the PVR on the 14th of August 2024, six clear days to the exhibition exercise which starts next week on the 20th of August 2024.
This is grossly unfair!
To make matters worse, we are told that today (the 14th of August) we will not receive the Provisional Voter Register until Friday, 16th August 2024. Leaving us with only six (6) days to package and dispatch the register to the over 38,000 Polling stations across Ghana to aid in pre-exhibition scrutiny of the register.
We are aware of the dysfunctional IT Department of the EC, for which we earlier called on the UNDP (@ IPAC) to extend a helping hand to.
The EC has refused and has since not followed up with the UNDP for technical support. Yet, the (deliberate) mistakes keep recurring.
We are deeply concerned that the posturing and incompetence of the EC and its IT Department can plunge Ghana into anarchy if not remedied immediately.
Recall the chaotic 2023 District Assembly Elections, the recent network failures during the Limited Registration Exercise, as well as Transfers and Proxies.
These have exposed the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of the EC.
This deliberate attempt to disturb the electoral roll in order to benefit one political party will be resisted!
Already, the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits stolen at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission under CCTV surveillance have still not been found. Have the stolen BVR kits been used to dump illegally registered voters onto the voter register?
The sanctity of our electoral system must be upheld at all times irrespective of who is in power!
We call on CSOs, religious bodies, and diplomatic missions to take an interest in the activities of this current EC because (beyond verbal assurances) the Commission is not SHOWING a commitment to deliver credible elections on December 07 2024.
The EC must release the Provisional Voter Register now!
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced plans to introduce a new Bill to strengthen the legal framework for the discipline of lawyers in Ghana.
In an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Attorney-General at the opening of the 2026 Conference of the Ghana Bar Association, Dr. Ayine disclosed that the Bill is headed to Cabinet for review and approval before being laid before Parliament.
The proposed law, to be called the Legal Profession (Practitioners Standards Board) Bill, is expected to transform and strengthen the regulatory framework for disciplining lawyers to safeguard the rights of practitioners and promote public confidence in the profession.
According to the Attorney-General, when passed, the Bill will establish an independent Disciplinary Committee with clear rules of procedure and proposals on proportionate sanctions.
He explained that this marks a progressive departure from the existing framework where the Disciplinary Committee both investigates and adjudicates complaints. The Bill also proposes clear and strict procedural timelines for resolving grievances to avert prolonged deliberations that frustrate both clients and lawyers.
Secondly, Dr. Ayine noted that under the current framework, Superior Court judges sit on the Disciplinary Committee whose decisions, as quasi-judicial decisions, are subject to reviews and appeals in the same courts where these judges preside.
The new Bill seeks to eliminate this conflict of interest by creating a separately constituted Board composed of lay non-lawyers and professional representatives with guaranteed tenure.
The Attorney-General added that the Bill seeks to separate professional discipline from executive, judicial or competitive interference to ensure that disciplinary mechanisms are not weaponized against lawyers by clients, the Bench, or the State.
The introduction of the new law forms part of efforts by the Attorney-General to introduce reforms into the legal profession aimed at revolutionizing legal practice and training. It follows the passage of the Legal Education Act, 2026, which is currently at the implementation stage.
News
Gov’t did not approve market near school — Stan Dogbe clears air on Ahafo Ano South market siting
Deputy Chief of Staff, Stan Xoese Dogbe has reacted to a viral video raising concerns about the siting of a market close to a school in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region.
In a post responding to the video, Mr. Dogbe said he has been in contact with the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, who he said is on top of the situation and has long since halted the construction process.
According to him, the decision to designate the said land near the school for the market was not a government decision.
“Once the development was brought to the RCC’s attention, the regional minister immediately asked that the process be stopped,” he stated.
Mr. Dogbe explained that the community currently has no available land space for the construction of the model market, which necessitated their choice of the location near the school.
He noted however that the community has been asked to find another, more suitable piece of land for the project to commence.
“We thank all for the interest in developmental issues in our communities,” he added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
