Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Madam Jean Mensa, on Friday told Parliament recent theft of five laptops from the Electoral Commission’s office will have no impact on the upcoming 2024 general elections.
The theft raised concerns about potential disruptions to the electoral process, which lead to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) calling for an independent investigation and audit into the matter.
Addressing Parliament on preparations for the December 7 elections, Mrs. Mensa said that the stolen laptops contained no sensitive information and were distinct from the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits.
“Mr Speaker, with the BVD, yes, I think we’ve mentioned over time that what we lost were five laptops and that was realized during a routine maintenance. However, we’ve taken steps to beef up our security in those places to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. But I think we’ve assured you many times that it has no bearing. The missing laptops have no bearing on the registration of the election,” she said.
She further explained that even if a BVR or BVD device were stolen, it would not compromise the election process due to the security measures in place.
“…Indeed, even if you assume that a BVR or a BVD was stolen, let’s assume because humans go there, they can be mischievous to carry the whole thing, they have to be activated. There are certain security processes that a BVD or a BVR has to go through to be connected to our system. And so on its own, it cannot be used to register anymore,” she informed Parliament.
Madam Jean Mensah further assured that the Electoral Commission holds high commitment to ensuring the security and integrity of the electoral process.
The general elections scheduled for Saturday, December 7, 2024, will be conducted at approved polling stations to elect a new president and members of parliament. Incumbent President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as per the 1992 constitution of Ghana is ineligible to run after serving two terms.
