EC debunks claims by Minority Leader

The Electoral Commission (EC) has responded to some claims made by the Minority Leader of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu following a meeting between the EC and the Special Budget Committee of Parliament of which the Minority Leader is a member.
According to the EC, in an interview, the Minority Leader sought to suggest that the EC did not understand data synchronization because the Commission had indicated during the meeting that it was not going to rely on the biometric data of citizens captured by the NIA.
“For the record, nowhere has the Commission stated that it intends to use the biometric data in NIA’s data base,” the EC stated.
 
Below is a statement by the EC to deubunks claims by the Minority Leader:
 
17^th June, 2020
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
EC RESPONDS TO MINORITY LEADER’S CLAIMS
Our attention has been drawn to a comment made by the Minority Leader of Parliament following a meeting between the Electoral Commission and the Special Budget Committee of Parliament of which he is a member. In the said interview, the Minority Leader sought to suggest that the EC didn’t understand data synchronization because the Commission had indicated during the meeting that it was not going to rely on the biometric data of citizens captured by the NIA.
For the record, nowhere has the Commission stated that it intends to use the biometric data in NIA’s data base. Indeed, the recently passed CI to guide the registration of voters, CI 126, does not include provisions to allow for the use of the biometric data of the NIA. What the CI states and which is what the Commission is seeking to do is to rely on the physical NIA card to prove a person’s citizenship as a precondition for registration. Indeed, had the Minority Leader read the CI 126, it would have been obvious to him that the Commission was not seeking to synchronize its data with that of the NIA.
For the record, merely presenting one’s card to prove one’s citizenship does not require a direct relationship or collusion with the NIA as the Minority has sought to portray. It is interesting that the same Minority  which accused the EC of being in bed with the NIA to rig  the election, would today turn around and propose data synchronization which would require the EC to work directly with the NIA and rely extensively on its  biometric data in its  data base.
 
Again, the Minority leader is on record to have stated that, the EC indicated at the meeting that it was going to phase out and reduce the polling stations by 6,780. For the records, the EC never made such a statement. What the EC said was that the 2020 registration would be in phases under a cluster system. This means that the 33,367 registration centres will be divided into five. Each cluster would consist of 6,780 registration centres. Each cluster would be made up of 5 registration centres numbered 1-5. During the first phase, all the registration centres numbered 1 nationwide will register applicants for 6 days.
 
During the second phase all registration centres numbered 2, will register applicants for 6 days. This will go on until all the phases are covered. Thereafter, there will be a nationwide mop up exercise. At no point during the discussion did the EC state that it was phasing out or reducing the polling stations by 6,780. Indeed, the fact that our explanation of the cluster system and methodology for registration never raised an eyebrow during our discussions indicates clearly that the EC never made this statement.
 
We have no doubt that members of the Committee would have been in a state of uproar if indeed the EC had made such an assertion. It is difficult to imagine that Members of Parliament will gloss over this decision and not seek clarification from the Commission on a critical subject such as this. Phasing out and reducing the polling stations by 6,780 is not an issue to be taken lightly by anyone let alone our Members of Parliament.
 
From the civil and comprehensive discussions that took place at the meeting, the claims by the Minority Leader are unfortunate. The Commission wishes to thank the members of the Special Budget Committee of Parliament for their continued support and constructive feedback.
 
MRS. SYLVIA ANNOH
Ag. DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS
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