New Biometric Voters Register; EC Must Reconsider its Decision

The Africa Centre for Peace Building has noted with great concern the decision by the Electoral Commission to compile a completely new biometric voters register, which is estimated to cost the nation about GHc400 million.

We have also taken note of concerns raised by the public and the opposition from some political parties who say the decision is not in the interest of the nation.

It is, however, worth noting, that the Electoral Commission led by Madam Jean Mensah, insists the decision is necessary despite the seemingly public disapproval, citing “outmoded biometric machines” as the main reason.

Last week, it was reported in the media that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the People’s National Congress (PNC), The United Front Party, the Eagle Party, and the All People’s Congress walked out of an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting conveyed by the Electoral Commission saying the “EC deceived them into the meeting only for them to realise that they were there to witness the demonstration of a software for a new biometric register”.

We are concerned with the development at the Electoral Commission considering the fact that the current biometric register complied in in 2012 was said to have cost the nation an amount of GH¢148,942,378 which was used to deliver a successful Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2012 and 2016 and also for the District level election and Referendum on the creation of the six new regions.

We recall that prior to the 2016 elections, the Supreme Court ordered Electoral Commission to clean the register by removing ghost names, people who registered with national insurance cards, under 18yrs and other abnormalities which also came with its associated cost to the taxpayer.

What is, however, an issue of serious national concern and casts serious doubt on the credibility and validity of the EC’s defense for the need to the new register is that it has used the same register in last year’s referendum in the creation of the six new regions and had scheduled to use same for both the aborted December 17 Referendum and 2019 District level elections which is also a nationwide exercise.

The question that lingers on our lips and perhaps many other Ghanaians is that, if the current voter register is defective and lacks credibility for the conduct of the upcoming December 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, on what basis is it being used for the conduct of the upcoming District level elections on Tuesday?

The Electoral Commission despite its guaranteed independence by the 1992 constitution, must be aware that its actions would be subjected to public scrutiny to ensure fairness in its dealings. The Electoral Commission must be made to be aware that it is one of the institutions that form a strong pillar of peace, stability and the democracy that Ghana is enjoying and any action or inactions which seeks to hurt the above three outputs of its responsibility has a great potential of destabilizing the country.

The Electoral Commission as independent as it must be seen, must not act in a manner that would suggest unfairness towards the sole interest of national groups of persons or political parties but must act in a way that would give it credibility in delivering a free, fair and credible election.

Elections related violence in most cases is said to be partly as a result of distrust and lack of confidence by the public in national electoral bodies. Ghana has come along way and the Electoral Commission must ensure it maintains and sustains the trust Ghanaian people reposed in it.

We, therefore, wish to appeal to the Electoral Commission to abort its decision on the compilation of the new biometric voter register as its insistence has the possibility of creating unnecessary tension and suspicions before, during and after the 2020 elections.

End –

Signed:

Korsi Senyo

Executive Director, Africa Centre for Peace Building
Cell: 0249155003
Email: senyo@afcopb.org
Web: http://afcopb.org/