The Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has asserted that strategic systems investigation and a review of their operations have enabled them to alert the Electoral Commission about the loss of registration kits.
Despite media reports about the loss of BVD machines, the NDC’s Director of Election and IT stresses that the investigation prompted by Members of Parliament into the missing election kits compelled the Electoral Commission to clarify the situation. The institution has confirmed the loss of only five laptops, according to Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who disclosed this during the Simpieso political talk show on Ahotor 92.3 FM, hosted by Emmanuel Amartey (Alaska De Don) in Accra.
Raising rhetorical questions, he questioned when the laptops went missing and why the commission remained silent on such a significant loss of state security election kits, without reporting it to stakeholders ahead of the 2024 December polls. He urged the commission to initiate an independent investigation into this unforeseen loss of laptops in their custody.
Addressing concerns about potential internet disruptions affecting the election process, Dr. Boamah expressed confidence in the NDC’s systems to withstand any challenges during result collation and data protection. He also highlighted the NDC’s intelligence gathering on the Electoral Commission’s alleged recruitment of returning officers affiliated with the New Patriotic Party, which he believes could compromise election integrity if not addressed.
In a separate statement, the Electoral Commission clarified that none of its Biometric Verification Devices (BVD) were missing, contrary to claims by the NDC. Instead, the EC confirmed the theft of five laptops from their custody.
Dr. Bossman Asare, the deputy chair in charge of Corporate Services, urged for calm and assured the public that the missing laptops would not impact the integrity of the 2024 elections. He clarified that the stolen laptops did not contain sensitive information and emphasized the distinction between BVDs and BVRs.
“We are fully prepared for the election and can confirm that only five laptops have been stolen, which do not contain any sensitive information. They are separate from the BVDs used for verification during voting. We are working with the police to retrieve them,” Dr. Asare stated, addressing concerns raised by the Minority Caucus regarding the missing BVD machines.
AYM Kukah:E-mail:kukahalexander7@gmail.com
