Missing BVDs may be used for unauthorised voter registration – Mustapha Gbande

The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande has made serious allegations concerning the disappearance of Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) in Ghana.

According to Gbande, Information reaching him and the camp of the NDC reveals that the missing BVDs have been taken by both the Electoral Commission (EC) and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to neighbouring countries for unauthorized voter registration ahead of the 2024 elections.

“The EC and the leadership of the NPP have taken the missing BVD machines to neighbouring countries to register people ahead of the 2024 elections who might not necessarily be Ghanaians.

“They have taken some machines to Togo, Burkina Faso among others to register persons who will come and vote in Ghana posing as Ghanaians in the 2024 elections,” he told Nana Yaa Brefo and Isaac Ekow JB on Yen Nsempa, Onua FM, on April 10.

Dismissing the EC’s characterization of the missing items as “mere laptops,” Gbande emphasized the critical role of BVD machines in the electoral process, denouncing any attempts to trivialize their significance.

“Anyone who describes the said machines as mere laptops is lying, they are not ordinary machines, they are for a purpose. They are not just laptops, they are BVD machines, they are very important components of the elections which have been taken,” Gbande remarked, highlighting the specialized function of BVDs in elections.

Gbande’s comments come after the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission in Charge of Corporate Services, Dr. Bossman Asare urged for calm and reassured the public that the theft of the laptops would not impact the integrity of the 2024 elections.

Speaking from the EC’s headquarters, Dr Bossman Asare clarified that all biometric devices are securely stored, affirming the Commission’s readiness for the December polls, adding that the missing items are merely laptops devoid of any sensitive information and also require activation before it can be used.

However, Gbande challenged the EC’s assertion that the stolen machines require activation before use, raising concerns about the potential involvement of unauthorized personnel in facilitating their operation.

“What if the person who helped steal the machines is from the EC’s office?” Gbande questioned, suggesting the possibility of insider collusion to activate the machines for illegal voter registration.