The chairman of the National Interest Movement (NIM), a civil society organisation, Dr Michael Abu Sakara, says Ghanaians need to know the whereabouts of laptops provided for the Electoral Commission (EC) prior to the 2020 general elections.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show, he said Ghanaians deserve to know what happened to these laptops and whether any important data has been compromised during the time they have been unaccounted for.

His comments follow the Electoral Commission's confirmation that about five laptops have been stolen from its stores. It came after rumours of alleged theft of Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) after the 2023 District Level Elections.

In a press statement on Friday, March 22, the EC clarified that the stolen laptops do not possess the capability to affect the integrity or outcome of elections.

Touching on the issue, Dr Sakara stated that after every election, all equipment must be properly accounted for and expressed concern that this has not been done for the 2020 elections.

Dr. Sakara said that the EC may not have been aware that the laptops were unaccounted for.

“How could they be missing if after every election we have to account for them? We are now way past the election. We are almost at the beginning of another election. If you have an inventory, that inventory should be reconciled at the end of the last election, not now that you are beginning to do the inventory."

"If you really did the inventory, then you signed that everything is under lock and key. The question then is: how did they go out? Did it go out for a by-election? Did they come back? So, these are matters that speak to the fact that there is a weakness in the inventory system," Dr Sakara said.

He urged the EC to put a proper inventory system in place to ensure that all equipment is accounted for after every election.

"Anytime, anything that has to do with elections, electoral devices, or electoral information is taken out somewhere, it must be returned, and we should know who took it out," Dr Sakara said.

On March 19, the Minority in Parliament called for urgent action from the police following the disappearance of seven biometric devices, expressing concern about potential ramifications for the upcoming December elections. 

The missing devices, intended for voter registration and verification by the EC ahead of its limited registration exercise, prompted the Minority for a swift investigation.

But, the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare, said there was no need for such panic because the alleged stolen items do not concern sensitive data.

Addressing the press on March 20, he said the missing items were five laptops, and these gadgets do not have any ramifications on elections.

“Because of what is alleged to have been stolen the commission is hearing that we are at risk ahead of the 2024 general elections. The commission wishes to use this opportunity to assure you the media and all Ghanaians that we are not at risk and that we are fully ready for the 2024 elections,” he said.

He explained that these laptops did not contain any information on anyone and were merely gadgets.

Touching on the alleged theft of BVD and the BVRs, he said these equipment are often activated and connected to the EC systems on Election Day.

Therefore, even if this equipment were stolen, there was no data on them individuals could use to hamper elections.