By: Jeremiah Nutsugah
Confusion ensued among voters at the Fire Mountain Ministry in Abeka polling station, Okaikoi North District in the Greater Accra Region, due to the delayed arrival of election officials.
Voters expressed their frustration as Election Officials arrived late, causing them to stand in a queue. Despite the scheduled 7:00 am start time, the EC arrived at 7:15, and the ballot boxes were not yet in place.
As at 8:00 a.m., only five voters had arrived to cast their votes.
Lawrence Agbe, one of the voters, shared his disappointment, stating, “I have been here since 6:30, and I haven’t seen any EC officials. It’s now 8:00, and they are just arranging and inspecting the papers. I have work to do; if they don’t act quickly, I’ll leave for work because I can’t stand here doing nothing.”
Madam Sofia, another voter, expressed discontent, noting that the delayed start contradicted the 7:00 a.m. schedule. Although visibly disappointed, she decided to leave the polling station, but EC officials convinced her to stay as they were almost done.
Another voter suggested voting on a table if the ballot boxes were not yet in place. An unnamed EC official responded, explaining that she was under someone’s authority, and without their presence, she couldn’t authorise voting on a table, as it might upset her boss.
Amidst the exchanges between voters and EC Officials, the ballot boxes finally arrived at 8:50. The EC Boss in charge of the area apologised to the voters for the delay, urging them to exercise restraint as the polling centres are open until 5 p.m. today.
