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EC improves social distancing protocol at voters registration centres
Adherence to social distancing protocol at voters registration centres in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area has witnessed improvement, following the institutionalisation and implementation of Queue Management System by the Electoral Commission (EC).
The improvement according to registration officers has facilitated the increase in the daily rate of cards issued to prospective voters.
A tour by the Ghanaian Times, yesterday to the Okaikwei South District, showed that there have been progress in observing physical distancing among individuals, who were at the centres, compared with what was experienced during phase one of the registration exercise.
At the District EC office in Okaikwei South, provision had been made for plastic chairs and benches to facilitate the queuing system.
According to the District Registration Supervisor, Mr Joseph Quartey, although the compliance level of applicants has generally been satisfactory, the centre occasionally saw the aged and lactating mothers not obeying the social distancing rules.
He explained that this was because such people sat on the benches and occasionally congest themselves on the bench, but officials ensured they allowed enough distance among themselves, once they realised such situation.
“The behaviour of some applicants, especially the aged and lactating mothers who use the benches sometimes leads to the social distancing not been observed, but on the whole, people comply with the queuing system,” Mr Quartey told the paper.
Mr Quartey said that the introduction of the Queue Management System had led to the centre issuing 160 cards on daily basis.
One of the health personnel at the same centre, Mr Daniel Asamoah explained an incidence that was recorded on Monday.
He said a 65 old man had collapsed while seated in the queue but was attended to and stabilised before being rushed to the Kaneshie Polyclinic, where he was admitted.
Mr Asamoah added that, the situation was due to high blood pressure.
Similarly, at the three cluster centres at the Saint Theresa’s Catholic School, applicants were seen respecting social distancing protocols, as they sat apart from each other.
A Registration Assistant at the centre, Claudia Azumah said that they were able to register and issue about 120 cards to prospective voters each day.
In all the centres visited by the paper, it was observed that, applicants were in masks and their temperatures were checked using an infrared thermometer before they started the process of registration.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
