Exposed: Candidate Presents ‘Fake’ Voter & Party ID Cards For Vetting In Biakoye NPP Primaries

Polling Station Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Biakoye Constituency of the newly created Oti Region have raised red flags at what they described as “fraudulent activities” by some candidates which have rocked their preparations towards the up-coming parliamentary primaries.

According to them, one of the candidates, Dr Frank Yirenkyi, has fraudulently managed to have his nomination forms accepted by the vetting committee although they are fraught with several inaccuracies.

In a petition issued and signed by Batali Nashiru, Youth Organiser of the NPP in Abotoase RC Primary School and Christian Homeku Dzisah, Chairman of the NPP Market Square Polling Station, they revealed that they have conducted extensive research on all the candidates that filed their nomination forms to contest the primaries and were surprised to note that Dr Frank Yirenkyi’s Voter ID Card and the NPP Party Card are “forged.”

They pointed out that Dr Frank Yirenkyi bears two separate Voter ID Cards; one of which he claimed to acquire from Biakoye Constituency and the other from Adentan, in the Greater Accra Region.

The Executives who followed their petition with a press conference explained that, Dr Frank Yirenkyi in presenting his nomination forms made the panel aware that he is a registered voter in Biakoye, but there is no record of that fact in the Electoral Commission Register that was compiled in the said Constituency.

The Voter ID Card he acquired from the Adentan Presby Church (Jordan) has a Polling Station Code: C160304B and ID No. 2658038639.

“Surprisingly, the other Card which he claimed to have acquired in Biakoye which he used to file his nomination form also has a Polling Station Code: D192802 and same ID Number 2658038639 as his Adentan Voter ID. We want to know how he came by the Biakoye Voter ID Card when indeed, his name is not in that register at the Electoral Commission as a registered voter in that constituency?” Batali Nashiru asked.

According to the petitioners, Dr Frank Yirenkyi’s name can only be found in the Electoral Commission Voters Register that was compiled in Adentan for the 2016 elections.

“We can refer you to the Final Voters Register (2015) for Adentan Constituency, the Presby Church (Jordan Congregation) polling station. In that Register you can find Dr Frank Yirenkyi on Page 53; with his Voter ID. 2658038639, but nothing of him can beforund in the Biakoye EP Primary School Worawora Voters Register,” Batali Nashiru stated.

They stressed that Dr Frank Yirenkyi is not a Card bearing member of the party in the Biakoye Constituency, hence cannot contest the parliamentary elections as per the party’s Constitution which demands that a candidate must be a card bearing member of the party in the constituency for at least 2 years before he or she can contest on the ticket of the party.

The Polling Station Executives in the constituency also raised issues on Dr Frank’s Yirenkyi’s NPP Party ID Card.

According to them, the Card with ID No. VR2021001BIKA2 which was acquired in 2013 at Biakoye EP Primary School Worawora, cannot be possible because, at the time of issuing the said ID Card, he (Dr Yirenkyi) was not a registered member of the party in Biakoye.

“He registered as a Voter in Adentan in 2012. So come he suddenly became a registered voter in Biakoye in 2013,” they asked.

They said it was important for the party to establish whether these issues raised are genuine, hence the need for the party leadership to conduct investigations into the issues.

The polling station executives noted that their position was not to destroy any candidate’s political ambition, but an attempt to correct the anomalies that have taken over their internal party politics.

“It is no doubt that our elections and primaries are supposed to be conducted in a free and fair manner to guarantee their credibility; and candidates or aspirants have the duty to play a fair game devoid of engaging in illegality and producing fake information and documents. It is our hope that these issues will be taken up with all urgency for smooth and incident-free primaries,” they stated.

They also averred that the “fraudulent misrepresentation” of Dr Frank Yirenkyi must not be countenanced by the party which is fighting very hard to fill its seats in Parliament with honest parliamentarians.

Batali Nashiru said: “Although we petitioned the vetting committee on these matters, nothing about these have been raised during his vetting. We call on the party leadership and the National Executive Committee to scrutinize his nomination forms and take action before things get out of hands. These developments are destroying the integrity of our great party, allowing other political opponents to make mockery of our internal elections processes.”

But in an interview with Dr Frank Yirenkyi via mobile phone, he refused to speak on the matter.

According to him, he had already submitted his nomination forms and successfully gone through the vetting process hence, was not in the position to talk to the media over the matter.

He however referred the Reporter to the Party Chairman in the Constituency or the Vetting Committee.

However, when Victor Abledu, NPP Volta Regional Secretary who is also a member of the Vetting Committee and a Research Officer, was contacted, he confirmed that matters arising from Dr Frank Yirenkyi’s nomination documents came to the Vetting Committee but the decision was for the Committee to forward the matter to both the National Executive Committee and the National Elections Committee of the party for redress.

He hopes that that appropriate decision will be taken over the matter and called for calm whilst the party leadership addresses the matter.

By: Prosper Agbenyega