The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that it is skeptical about the precautionary measures put in place by the Electoral Commission (EC) since any attempt by the Commission to embark on the compilation of a new voters’ registration exercise may escalate the COVID-19 cases in the country.
It wondered how registration officials would determine if someone had COVID-19 or not, a practical commonsensical issues that the citizenry must think of which could escalate the positive cases in the country.
The party noted that the National Identification Authority stopped registration when the nation recorded 200 cases and commission was expected to register 18 million electorate within 40 days, which was impractical and should be disregarded.
Addressing the media in
Accra, Afriyie Ankrah, Director of Elections for the NDC, said only about 6.5 million people had access to the Ghana Card and quizzed
how remaining several millions of eligible voters could be registered for the new
voter ID card when they had no Ghana card.
“The NIA could not dispute our claim that only
5.17 per cent and 6.36 per cent of the registrable population in Upper West and
Upper East regions, respectively, have been issued Ghana Cards, up to 93 per
cent of eligible voters in two regions will be disenfranchised should the Electoral
Commission go ahead and rely only on Ghana Card and passport as primary
documents for registering people for issuance of new voter ID cards.
“The EC’s reliance on Ghana Card for registration, which commences next month, will sideline over 93 per cent of eligible voters in the two regions, which are strongholds of the NDC, if you look at figures what is going to happen to the electorate in Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Savannah, North-East, are they not Ghanaians? Do they not deserve to be treated rightly, fairly and justly as anybody else? Do they have to go through hustle of trying to find people to guarantee for them with all its delays and frustrations?” Mr Ankrah contended.
The EC’s decision to compile new electoral roll has been met with mixed reactions from individual, political and civil society organisation fronts, although the exercise is currently on hold following the COVID-19 pandemic and assured of observing necessary precautionary measures and hygienic protocols when registration exercise commences. -citinewsroom.com/classfmonline.com
