Politics

NIA, EC cautioned over hasty decisions

The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has cautioned the National Identification Authority (NIA) and the Electoral Commission (EC) over hasty decisions that will create suspicion and mistrust.

Whereas the NIA is currently embarking on a mass registration of Ghanaians in selected areas of the Greater Accra Region for the ‘Ghana Card’, the EC will in few days commence a limited voter registration exercise at its offices towards the upcoming district level election.

 Abraham Koomson, Secretary General of the GFL, said issues surrounding the Ghana Card registration and the upcoming limited voter registration must be properly handled as their ‘bad judgement’ could have unfavourable consequences on the credibility of the two exercises.

“It is worrying hearing news on malpractices such as the alleged registration of foreigners as Ghanaians by some NIA officials after receiving paltry sums and illegally setting up registration offices in the night at unauthorised places, the NIA must initiate punitive sanctions against its officials named in such activities to deter others from doing same,” he warned.

Mr Koomson urged the NIA to relook at the deadline for the registration because the registration exercise was for national identification and advised that since majority of Ghanaians might not be able to meet the primary requirements for registration, the NIA must organise a mop-up exercise after the mass registration to ensure that no citizen would be left out of the project.

“I am appealing to the NIA to also consider increasing the registration centres as well as extend the registration period as people have complained about delays in the process due to poor connectivity, on the voters’ registration, I plead with the EC to make the registration easily accessible to eligible voters by opening the centres in the electoral areas as it has been done over the years.

“It is in the interest of the EC and the NIA not to create suspicions of conspiracy to manipulate the system for a possible elections rigging in 2020, if civil society becomes suspicious of conspiracy of the institutions to manipulate the system and rig the elections, certainly there will be resistance and revolt,” Mr Koomson further warned. –GNA

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