EC Poised to Dissenfranchise People from Zongo – Zongo Caucus

National Democratic Congress NDC Zongo Caucus has accused the Electoral Commission of Ghana of deliberate attempt to disenfranchise the people of Zongos on Eid ul Adha day in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

The statement says the EC in its last announcement indicated that the last face of the registration exercise which supposed to begin on the 1st of August has been changed to 31st July, a day of Eid ul Adha celebration for the Muslims.

A statement signed by the Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Maman Cool Younger urged the EC to respect the constitution of the land.

The statement released on Tuesday in Accra condemned the act of lawlessness by the EC to disenfranchise the electorates in Zongo communities.

Below is the statement released in Accra.

Our attention has been drawn to the act of disrespect to Muslims and their rituals by the Electoral Commission for intending to carry out the Registration Exercise on the day of Eid-ul Adha and we wish to express our utmost resentment against such a reprehensible decision.

Muslims in Ghana and world over are billed to celebrate the Eid-l Adha on Friday the 31st of July, 2020. By providence, the fifth phase of the Registration Exercise ends on the 30th of July 2020 and that provides an open window for the Observation of the Eid-l Adha without a hitch. Unfortunately, the Electoral Commission has deliberately scheduled to begin the sixth and final phase of the exercise on the 31st of July which is supposed to mark the Eid-ul Adha day.

The Electoral Commission, acting in fairness to the laws of this country should have recognised that, the occasion of Eid-ul Adha is supposed to be a statutory public holiday and therefore any such state organised exercise would be running contrary to the constitution of Ghana. Besides, the legal obligation imposed on the commission to observe the day as a holiday, it is morally prudent for the exercise to be put on hold for the purposes of according respect to the Muslim Community in Ghana and the world as a whole.

The Electoral Commission, acting in principle and deference to the good number of their officers who are Muslims, should have found it prudent to put the exercise on hold to allow them go and offer their annual Eid prayers on that day.

We finally wish to call on the Electoral Commission to, in obeisance to the law put a hold on the exercise for the smooth observation of the Religious obligation by all Muslims. We further wish to call on all well meaning Muslims to join us in resisting this deliberate and reprehensible act of subversion of the rights of Muslims in Ghana.

Is it not a shame to have the person’s of Dr Bawumia and Mustapha Hamid who swore to protect Muslims sit there to allow such disrespect to the Muslim Community? EC must change the date NOW!
Thank you.

Sgd.
Alhaji Mohammed Mamah- Cole Younger
(National Zongo Caucus Coordinator)