The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has renewed its concerns with the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to make the Ghana Card the sole identification for the registration of voters.
It alleged that the move remained a calculated tool to disenfranchise its members which would not connote free, fair, credible and transparent elections in 2024.
“If the EC is going to use a system to disenfranchise about three million Ghanaians who do not have Ghana Card will not result in a free, fair, credible and transparent elections and intention is to disenfranchise NDC members and supporters for the New Patriotic Party win the elections to enable it break the eight,” the party insisted.
This comes on the heels of confirmation of the Electoral Management Body to abolish the guarantor system for use of Ghana card for its continuous voter registration exercise.
In his reaction to the development, Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of NDC, expressed misgivings about the Commission’s sweeping reforms to voter registration and voting, two years before the next general election and it could not be trusted with new electoral amendments.
“This is a position the EC has taken and we have been fighting it, I believe our position makes sense and the EC’s communication did not convince the citizenry they are on the right track and we believe we will overcome it.
“If the argument by EC is, they are not going to touch existing register, how will the new names go and clean the old register? It means they have something hidden they do not want Ghanaians to know”, Mr Nketia indicated.
According to the Electoral Management Body, the reforms will affect source documents for voter registration and the Voter Identification system, will take effect with maturation of a yet-to-be laid Constitutional Instrument.
While debunking claims the Ghana Card will be used as Voter Identification in 2024, the Commission maintained that the card will be sole document for limited and continuous voter registrations and the guarantor system is fraught with challenges and could no longer provide secure system of voter registration.
With the difficulties associated with the acquisition of the Ghana Card, the EC has urged the National Identification Authority to accelerate printing of cards to enable prospective voters to register to vote.
