Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged unregistered voters to take advantage of the upcoming limited voter registration exercise to get on to the voters roll in readiness to vote the New Patriotic Party-formed administration out of power in the 2024 elections.
The former president who is also the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress for next year’s election “strongly urge the EC to facilitate the exercise in all its electoral areas to allow for easy access and a reduced burden on the citizenry in their quest to register.”
He also requested of the EC to be transparent in the registration process by publishing the names of personnel undertaking the exercise and the number of work stations, registration kits and other logistics to be used in the exercise.
In an address to the nation via his social media platforms from his residence in Accra yesterday, Mr Mahama said it has become an obligation to vote the government out owing to its poor performance in government and doing so, stars with the acquisition of a voters ID card.
“I’m here to encourage you wherever you are in Ghana and beyond. If you don’t have a voters’ identity card, especially if you just turned 18, please take advantage of this exercise which starts on September 12, 2023. Start making the necessary arrangements to register and get your voters identity card,” he entreated.
Voting, the former president observed, is a very critical democratic exercise which every citizen must partake in to make their voices heard and to shape society.
According to him, as a result of the poor management of the scarce resources of the country by the Akufo-Addo administration, Ghana is grappling with severe economic crisis, the lives of the people defined to daily struggles to eke out a living with job opportunities becoming more difficult by the day.
“Our people; the youth, the elderly, drivers, market women, civil servants, security personnel, teachers, journalists, nurses and doctors, are all experiencing a sense of hopelessness on a scale never witnessed in recent memory.
“This dire situation calls for urgent action and the most powerful tool at our disposal is our right to vote.”
President Akufo-Addo and his administration, Mr Mahama observed have failed to address the pressing economic challenges they have created, misapplying resources and spending on their comfort and largesse instead of building the critical infrastructure the country needs for job creation and development.
“Their promises during their campaigns have not been fulfilled leaving the ordinary Ghanaian bearing the consequences of their incompetence, cluelessness, and shameless arrogance,” he said.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
