Two Nigerien nationals arrested in Asokore Mampong for voter registration fraud

Police in Asokore Mampong, Ashanti Region, apprehended two Nigerien nationals on Thursday, 16 May, who were attempting to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

Reports indicate that the suspects failed to provide convincing explanations to the Electoral Commission (EC) officers and police regarding their presence at the registration center, leading to their detention and subsequent transport to the police

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Noah Owusu, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) first vice-chairman in the Ashanti Region, confirmed the incident to Asaase News and mentioned that a search is underway for two other suspects.

“The two were arrested after one of the suspects ignored earlier warnings that he was not eligible to partake in the process. He insisted he was from Kumasi, so we remained silent until he approached the EC officer. The officer questioned his identity, and he admitted he was a Nigerien, leading to the immediate arrest of him and his brother, who were taken to the police station for interrogation,” Owusu said.

However, the two suspects were subsequently granted bail by the police. Owusu accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives in Asawase of transporting foreigners to participate in the exercise. He urged the police to extend their investigation to include these individuals.

“In the statement of one of the suspects, he mentioned that some NDC executives, including the constituency organizer, brought them to the registration center. The same organizer secured bail for the suspects, which is surprising. We will seek clarity from the police on this. We are not calling for his arrest, but we want the police to conduct a thorough investigation,” Owusu stated.

Attempts to reach NDC executives in the constituency for comments have been unsuccessful.

Despite nationwide technical challenges during the initial stages, electoral officers in Asokore Mampong have successfully registered a total of 2,304 individuals as of Wednesday, 15 May. The process has also faced complications, with six cases of double registration identified and the recent arrest of the two foreigners.