The Electoral Commission (EC) says it has no intention of extending the deadline for the ongoing voters registration exercise since the pressure at centres has reduced.
It has, therefore, encouraged eligible voters who have not yet registered to do so before the 21 days for the exercise elapsed.
“Eligible voters should not wait till the last day of the registration exercise to do so,” the Deputy EC chairman in charge of operations, Samuel Tettey, said at a press conference in Accra yesterday.
Responding to a question relaying calls for extension by some politicians, he said the initial queues had watered down significantly and the commission is currently not recording high numbers witnessed in the first week except in a few places.
“We do not think at this time it is feasible for someone to call for extension of the exercise,” he said.
Giving updates on the registration so far, Mr Tettey said in the first 13 days of the exercise (as of Sunday), 532, 025 eligible voters had been captured out of the 623,000 projected by the commission.
Males are 246,455, representing 47.21 per cent, and females, 275,570, representing 52.79 per cent, and first time voters, those between the ages of 18 and 21, are 446,416, representing 85.52 per cent of the total number of registered voters.
Persons with Disabilities are 813, representing 0.16 per cent of the total registered voters.
On the regional breakdown, the Greater Accra Region has registered 74,420 voters, representing 14.3 per cent; the North East, 14,147, representing, 2.7 per cent; Upper East, 20,135, representing 3.9 per cent; Northern, 47,948, representing 9.2 per cent.
Bono registered 20,886, representing 4.0 per cent; Bono East, 18,861, representing 3.6 per cent; Volta, 26,486, representing 5.1 per cent; Upper West, 15,652, representing 3.0 per cent; Eastern, 48,563, representing 9.3 per cent, and Central, 56,141, representing 10.8 per cent.
Ahafo recorded 10,861, representing 2.1 per cent; Ashanti, 90,480, representing 17.3 per cent ; Western North, 16,235, representing 3.1 per cent; Oti, 14,844, representing 2.8 per cent; Savannah, 12,767, representing 2.4 per cent, and Western Region, 33,609, representing 6.4 per cent.
Mr Tettey expressed concern about the registration of minors, foreigners and persons not deemed to reside in some area as challenge cases reach 7,821, representing 1.50 per cent of registrants so far.
On allegations of misconduct by registration officials, he said they had been professional in their duties except for one registration officer in Pusiga in the Upper East Region who had since been dismissed by the commission and also handed over to the police to continue with investigations.
“The commission would like to warn all its temporary officials that it will not countenance the breach of its electoral laws,” he said.
On the forms of identification and their percentages, Mr Tettey said Ghana Card holders were 183,250, representing 37.02 per cent ; Passport, 1,441, representing 0.3 per cent, and guarantees, 327,384, representing 62.70 per cent.
He apologised for errors recorded on the infographics, noting that the Commission has made changes to the team charged with the responsibility in addition to institution of more rigorous methods in the preparation to ensure that what is turned to the public is accurate.
He refuted accusations from a group called Election Watch Ghana that the Commission was using stolen biometric voter registration cards to register people secretly.