PHOTOS: 5 Togolese arrested for electoral fraud

• Posted on August 13, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The vigilance of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the registration centres in the Ahanta West constituency of the Western Region, has led to the arrest of some Togolese, who managed to register in the on-going limited registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC) in the constituency.

The five Togolese were issued with Ghanaian voters’ identification cards after taking part in the exercise meant only for Ghanaians.

Their names were given as Kpongnon Yao, 28; Azaindjo Innocent, 22; Augustine Dingninou, 22; Assou-Elikem Arly, 22 and Bokobosso Atignim, 29.

They were exposed after a leading member of the NPP in the Western Region had visited the Bokoro registration centre and alerted the constituency executives of the party.

The five foreigners are yet to be handed over to the police because the Ahanta West District Electoral Officer, Nathaniel Quaye, was in a meeting in Accra when the news reached him.

The District Electoral officer has therefore ordered that the ID cards issued to the Togolese be sent to his office, pending further investigations.

DAILY GUIDE learnt that the five were part of about 14 Togolese believed to have registered at the Bokoro registration centre.

They are all workers of Diamond Cement from Aflao operating in the Bokoro area.

The five alleged that some kingpins of the NDC in the Ahanta West constituency encouraged them to register.

One of the ID card

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the officials of the cement manufacturing factory had given assurance that they would assist the EC to arrest all the suspects.

The officials of the factory, however, maintained that the Togolese who registered, were not direct workers of the factory but worked with a sub-contractor at Diamond Cement at Bokoro.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE, Joseph Baidoo, Vice Chairman of the NPP in the constituency, indicated that when Edna Nyame, a leading member of the party in the region, on Monady got to the Bokoro registration centre, she had a tip-off that some Togolese were taking part in the exercise.

Mr. Baidoo added that when she got there, the NPP representative at the centre was also challenging one of the foreigners.

“So Madam Nyame alerted the constituency officers and we quickly moved to the place and we were told those who registered were workers of Diamond Cement,” he added.

Mr. Baidoo added that fortunately for the constituency executives, the land on which Diamond Cement was operating was given to the company by the Constituency Chairman of the NPP, Mr Ayipah.

“So we went to the premises of the factory and with the assistance of some officials, we were able to get five of the foreigners who confirmed that they registered and were issued with ID cards”.

According to the First Vice Chairman of the NPP in the constituency, the constituency executives ordered the five Togolese to surrender their ID cards and they obliged.

“It was at this point that the foreigners told us that they were approached by some NDC activists in the area to register. “We then called the District Electoral Officer, who directed us to deposit the cards at his office and promised to investigate the case on his return.”

From Emmanuel Opoku, Bokoro