Security analyst Colonel Festus Aboagye has highlighted the urgent need for better protection of electoral materials.

This comes on the back of the fire outbreak at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools, which was used to store ballot papers for the Ablekuman North constituency.

Commenting on the incident, Col Aboagye expressed concerns about the Electoral Commission's (EC) handling of sensitive materials.

He emphasised that these items, including voting devices and ballot papers, must be securely stored for extended periods, especially in the event of legal challenges.

“Electoral materials, along with other devices, should be safeguarded for as long as needed, especially in case any legal issues arise later,” he explained.

Mr Aboagye also pointed out that the EC’s security focus should not be limited to the days leading up to elections but should be an ongoing priority.

“The Electoral Commission must recognise that the safety and security of electoral materials should not only be a concern before elections,” he said. “Why were these materials stored in a School when the plan was to keep them secure in police armories for distribution?” he questioned.

The security expert was critical of the EC’s apparent reluctance to take responsibility for the situation. “In this case, the EC is failing to take accountability for its negligence and instead claims, ‘I am not responsible for security,’” Aboagye remarked.

“What was the rationale behind allowing these materials to be kept in a place so easily accessible? How could this have been allowed to happen?” he asked.

Mr Aboagye argued that by now, a far more secure system should have been in place for storing electoral materials once the election is over. “By now, we should have a designated, secure method for storing election materials after the polling stations close,” he said.

“This neglect is a serious dereliction of duty.”

The analyst warned that this could be just one of many disruptions in the current electoral process. He called for urgent action from both the police and the Electoral Commission to strengthen the security of electoral materials.

“We must learn from this incident and address the wider challenges we face as a nation to ensure the integrity and transparency of our elections,” Aboagye concluded.