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Call for forensic audit is non-negotiable – Sammy Gyamfi
The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, says the party will not back down on its demand for a forensic audit of the voter’s register.
According to him, the numerous irregularities identified by the party in the provisional voter’s register are too significant for them to trust it moving forward.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on September 18, a day after the party’s nationwide demonstration against the Electoral Commission, he explained that allowing the current register to be used in the upcoming elections would deny the NDC and other political parties a levelled playing field, thereby giving the ruling party an undue advantage.
“The most important thing is that your name should be in the register. If your name is in the register and you don’t even have an ID card, you can vote but if your name is not in the register and you have an ID, you can’t vote.”
“So, you can now appreciate the seriousness of the issues we are talking about here and somebody will say it is just about 4,000 people. That is what we as a political party detected back then. There could be more. You can only know the magnitude of that problem through a forensic audit. That is why the call for a forensic audit is non-negotiable,” he said.
He explained that there may be more problems with the EC’s IT system, and until those anomalies are identified and corrected, the party cannot trust the credibility of the register.
Mr Gyamfi stated that if the EC were to begin a forensic audit today, September 18, it could be completed within two weeks.
During the party’s ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration on Tuesday, the party issued a one-week ultimatum to the Electoral Commission (EC) to take action on their petition for a forensic audit of the voter’s register.
The party announced that if the EC does not respond within this period, it will escalate its efforts with a series of protests aimed at pressuring the Commission to ensure transparency.
Meanwhile, the EC has since received the NDC’s petition and has assured the public and the party that it is committed to delivering a credible and robust final voter’s register.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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