DR BAWUMIA'S COMMENTS ON VOTERS' REGISTER COULD TRIGGER DIPLOMATIC CONFLICTS- GHANAIANS IN TOGO WARNED

Some Ghanaians living in Togo have warned that claims by the New Patriotic Party that Ghana’s voter register is dilated with Togolese registered voters who could trigger diplomatic conflict between the two nations.

The Vice Presidential Candidate of New Patriotic Party Dr Mahamadu Bawumia in a power point presentation made few weeks ago in attempts to justify the party’s call for a new voters’ register claimed Ghana’s register is bloated with non-nationals who throng the country to vote during elections. But in a strong rebuttal at a press conference in Lomé the leader of the Ghanaian communities in Togo Mr. Joseph Brown Hammond said his claims were unfounded and could create enmity among the citizens of the two nations.

“It is totally false! No Ghanaian has packed any Togolese to Ghana to vote. Look I have stayed here for 32years. I am at liberty to come to Ghana, I come from Ghana; Accra Osu” he said.

Mr. Joseph Brown Hammond also questioned the credibility of a register which the NPP claimed to be that of the Togolese particularly when the Togolese Electoral Commissioner categorically denied ever divulging such a confidential information to any individual or organization.

“75196, I don’t know who gave him that figure. The Togo Electoral Commissioner Prof Kpacha Korsi has categorically denied and it is true that nobody has approached him to obtain any document. Even the Togolese political parties have no access to it, much more somebody from Ghana” he said.

The actions by the New Patriotic Party according to the Ghanaians in Togo would not only disenfranchise eligible Ghanaians during elections but might also trigger diplomatic conflict between the two nations.

“We are advising Dr Bawumia to apologize to the people of Togo for accusing them. Because he is tarnishing their reputation and he is tarnishing the reputation of Ghanaians in Togo. This would only bring enmity between the two countries and we don’t want that. We are part of the ECOWAS and we want to live in peace with our neighbors”