I voted in 2020 even though my name was not on the voters’ register – Richard Ahiagbah confirms

The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has confirmed reports that he voted in the 2020 general elections even though his name was not in the voters’ register.

Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Neat FM on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Richard Ahiagbah stated that even though he had a valid voter identification card, which was issued to him after he completed his registration in 2020, his name was not in the register when he went to vote.

“I voted in the 2020 election. You have to ask officials of the EC why I was able to vote even though my name was not in the register.

“Because I have a voter’s ID card which bears my name. I got it in 2020 when we were asked to register for a new voters’ register. I have the card, and it has the polling station number where I have always been voting,” he said in the Twi dialect.

He added, “I went to queue to vote on 7 December 2020, and when it got to my turn, the officials said my name was not on the register. So, I asked why my details were not on the register and showed them my documents.”

The NPP communications director added that the EC official on the election day agreed that he should be allowed to vote, but he does not know why they allowed him to vote even though his name was not on the voters’ register.

He added that only officials of the EC can explain why he was allowed to vote even though his name was not in the 2020 electoral register.

Richard Ahiagbah’s remarks come after he was accused by members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of committing the crime of double registration when he attempted to register at a Ketu South electoral registration centre on Saturday, 11 May 2024.

A video of the incident, sighted by GhanaWeb, showed a chaotic registration centre with some NDC agents being heard in the background questioning how Richard Ahiagbah was able to vote in the 2020 presidential election if he was not a registered voter.

After the incident, purported evidence emerged, showing that Ahiagbah voted in the 2020 election, albeit without his name printed on the voter roll.

A photo of the voter register used during the election also showed that the details of Ahiagbah, including his supposed voter identification number, name, age, date of birth, and polling station code, were written by an electoral official at the bottom of the register with a pen before he proceeded to cast his vote.

In reaction to Saturday’s development, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) demanded the arrest of Richard Ahiagbah for the offence of double registration.

Malik Basintale, the Deputy National Communication Officer of the NDC, in an interview with Metro TV, called for his immediate arrest.

“We will not tolerate this attempt by the NPP to use dubious means to steal the mandate of Ghanaians in the 7 December elections. We have the challenge form with us, and we are calling on the Ghana Police Service to arrest him immediately. If they fail to do so, we will initiate a citizen’s arrest.

“We will not stand by and watch the NPP engage in illegal activities to rig the elections. We will do everything within our power to ensure that the will of the people is respected,” he told News Night Anchor Michael Addo on Metro TV.