Politics

Atanga Nji warns against coercing people to enroll on voter register.

by Morine Tanyi
12 May 2024 17:06
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Minister Atanga Nji flanked by closed collaborators and ELECAM officials after meeting

The Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul, has warned against all forms of manipulation or coercion of citizens to enroll on voter register. The member of government made this warning during a meeting with the Director General of Elections at Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, Dr Essousse Erik, and the Board Chairman of ELECAM, Dr Enow Abrahams Egbe.

The meeting took place at the meeting room of the ministry, Thursday May 2.

This was in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Yves Christian Edoa Effa, and the Inspector General In charge of Electoral Affairs, Bekila Gisèle-Valérie.

According to the member of government, the meeting had as main objective to take stock of the progress of voter registration ahead of the upcoming elections in the country.

Minister Atanga Nji, in a statement signed April 3, noted that at the end of the discussions, it was noted with satisfaction that the electoral process is proceeding normally.

He, however, noted that a number of abuses have been observed that need to be rectified.

Among them, the member of government cited the forceful registration of citizens by some political party leaders. He insisted that: “… voter registration is not compulsory. Consequently, people should not be forcibly removed from their homes or pressured in any way to register to vote”.

He equally used the opportunity to warn recalcitrant politicians against any attempt to manipulate public opinion and “to turn voter registration into a political one-upmanship” or a factor to disrupt the peace and quietness of citizens, thereby causing public disorder.

Minister Atanga Nji tasked administrative authorities to ensure that voter registration operations are carried out without the slightest disruption by certain politicians seeking notoriety and in accordance with the laws in force.

ELECAM, the statement read, is holding regular consultations with all stakeholders in the electoral process, and voter registration is proceeding serenely under the aegis of various ELECAM offices across the country.

He equally noted that at the level of the diaspora, the process is ongoing without any worry.

The Minister also congratulated ELECAM on the quality of its work in the field and the institution’s close collaboration with the different political parties.