Togo's Opposition Leader Shocked At Ghana's EC Claims...Backs Bawumia's "Authentic" Copy

Masseme Esse, a leading member of the largest opposition political party in Togo, Alliance Nationale pour le Changement (ANC), says he is bemused by reports that the Togolese Electoral Commission declined to provide its counterpart in Ghana with a copy of its register for verification of the soft copy of the register used by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its analysis to back calls for a new voters register.

According to Monsieur Esse, who is also the Special Advisor to Jean Pierre Fabre, the main opposition leader in Togo, political parties are members of Togo’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI), unlike what pertains in Ghana; and were thus given a soft copy of their register whereupon they realized it was bloated after careful study.  

I’m surprised the Togo EC failed to give our voters register to Ghana and I will be surprised if Togo says its register is not bloated because we were given a soft copy and we also realized it was bloated,” he stated.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Nana Yaw Kesseh, sit-in host of PeaceFM’s “Kokrokoo” on the row over whether the NPP presented an original copy of Togo’s voters’ register to the EC to buttress its claim that Ghana’s register is bloated with names of Togolese nationals, Monsieur Esse said his party also raised similar concerns during the last elections in Togo.

…it was the main reason why President Mahama came here (Togo). He came to settle the issue peacefully between the government and the opposition. We solved the problem and the register was audited but Ghana must do a new voters register,”. Mr Esse added.

Bawumia's Copy Of Togo Register Authentic 

According to him, he has been following events on the political landscape in Ghana with keen interest on the internet and can put his head on the chopping block and confirmed that what Vice Presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia presented to Ghana’s EC, was an authentic copy of the Togolese voters’ register

"I have been following the debate…I confirm that…I have seen the Togo register…it is very common for people to cross the border to vote in the country. The register put out by NPP is the same register…all the details as we have them in our register is the same,” he added.

The Special Advisor to Togo's Main Opposition Leader therefore urged government and the Electoral Commission to solve the controversy surrounding the voters register peacefully because "everybody's eye is on Ghana".

"...it would be better for Ghana to do a new voters register because if they just audit it, they cannot get to the bottom of the problem and that will bring about confusion...everybody's eye is on Ghana,” he said.


Click the audio above to listen to the interview