The National Democratic Congress has asked the Electoral Commission to scrap the special voting exercise of December 23, part of the presidential election runoff, for widespread irregularities. Alex Segbefia, campaign coordinator of the NDC, made the submission on Joy FM’s current affairs programme, Front Page, appearing with other guests including the EC’s Director of Public Affairs, Christian Owusu Parry. “Nothing here that has been said today, convinces me about what happened in the special voting as a credible voting. We would appeal to the Electoral Commission to consider scrapping the whole of the special voting throughout the country and let us, everybody, vote again…because we have real concerns. We are saying this at this stage, we are still waiting for final figures. "We have sent letters to the EC across the country as to how many people voted in the special voting and then based on that we can make a conclusive analysis of the situation as to what happened. We have the rest of today and tomorrow (to go to the runoff proper) but as it stands at the moment based on what happened in Ashanti, let us make it clear; we think that it would be better to totally scrap the special voting exercise across the country…” The programme, hosted by Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, discussed the success or otherwise of the early voting exercise, protests arriving from the exercise and the December 28 presidential runoff and prospects. Also in attendance were Mr. John Larvie, elections coordinator of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Mr. Bright Simons, a policy analyst associated with IMANI Ghana and Mr. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Campaign Chairman of the New Patriotic Party. Pollster, Ben Ephson and Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance, contributed via phone. Alex Segbefia alleged very serious shortcomings recorded during the exercise have undermined its credibility and the results should not stand. He said in specific constituencies in Kumasi and other parts of the Ashanti Region, no lists existed of voters eligible to vote in the exercise, and in one instance, the electoral officers exhausted a supply of 2000 ballots and requested for another 1000. He had early on alleged that figures obtained in constituencies in the region were too curious to be accepted as credible. Segbefia said for instance at the Bantama constituency, 350 people voted in the earlier special voting on December 2, but by 3pm on December 23, 2000 people had voted already while EC officials could not tell how many people were expected to vote there. At Manhyia, 208 persons voted on December 2, but by 3pm last Tuesday, 2000 had already voted and EC officials had ordered for another 1,000 ballot papers, also unable to tell how many people were expected. Similar ‘huge’ figures turned up at Subin where 1500 voted on December 2, but 2796 people had voted while the exercise was yet to close and at Asante Akim North, 485 voted on December 2, as against 1,223 on December 23 while Ejisu Juaben recorded 286 in the first instance against 526. “Now contrast this with our constituency, the one we won in Ashanti, Asawase; 137 to 167… Go and check Ketu North, Ketu South, Keta; increases of 10, 30, 40, that’s Volta Region. Ashanti stands out on its own, with 300, 400 percent increases in some areas and it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, as to what occurred and the basis upon which they occurred...” Owusu-Parry explained however that the special voting lists are generated at the constituency level and anybody appearing to vote would have spoken to the returning officer and that the returning officer has actually given his permission to be put on the special voters’ list so people don’t just walk to the polling centre for special voting. “Obviously the Returning Officer must be in the know and they may have spoken to the Returning Officer and the question that we need to ask is whether those people qualify to be placed on the special voters’ list and …anybody whose duty would not allow him to be at his original polling station on election day, can apply to be placed on special voters’ list.” He explained that the commission’s own staff, political party agents and election observers requested to be placed on the special voters list and that explains the rise in numbers registered for the special exercise.