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Electoral Commission cautions underage persons participating in voter registration exercise
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The Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a warning to underage citizens participating in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise, stressing that offenders will face the consequences of the law.
It also urged guardians to advise their underaged wards to stay clear of participating in the process.
“We would like to use this opportunity to entreat parents to advise their wards who are less than 18 years old not to be coerced by anyone to assume a new age and register as a voter because they may find themselves on the wrong side of the law,” the EC Deputy Chairperson in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare said during a press conference in Accra on Thursday.
He further disclosed that the Commission had received evidence of foreigners, minors, and other ineligible persons participating in the registration exercise under the guise of the guarantor system.
According to him, this act was being backed by some political parties.
He thus asked political parties to desist from pushing ineligible people to register, stressing that it would be better if the political parties channeled their influence into helping the EC establish a credible voters’ roll.
Dr Asare reiterated that any ineligible person caught participating in the registration exercise will be brought to the book.
Subsequently, he underscored that the guarantor system had outlived its usefulness owing to abuse over time, and lobbied the populace to support the EC in introducing the Constitutional Instrument (C.I.), which seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole identification card for registration.
“The Electoral Commission believes that the guarantor system has outlived its usefulness, and we are convinced that the time is right for a system that every registrant is identified on his or her own merit rather than another person vouching for the age and nationality of that person.
“We believe this must stop and the parties, the media, CSOs, all of us must support the EC to ensure the laying and the passage of the C.I.”
The EC began the Limited Voters Registration exercise on September 12, 2023, to enable Ghanaians over the age of 18 to register to enable them to vote in the next District Assembly elections.
Eligible voters participating in the exercise are to use either their Ghana Card or passport as proof of identity and if neither is available, applicants are to present two registered voters to guarantee for them.
Since the commencement of the exercise, the Commission reported that 673,276 people have registered, out of 700,000 projected by October 2, 2023.
Dr Asare said he was optimistic that the Commission would meet its projected target since more kits had been distributed to the registration centers in addition to those already available.
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
