New Voters’ Register: Recipe to Create Chaos – NDC
The National Democratic Congress, NDC, says the decision by the Electoral Commission of Ghana,EC, to compile a new voter’s register for the 2020 general elections is a recipe to create chaos ahead of general elections in 2020.
The Party accused the Commission of refusing justifiable reasons to spend over 400 million Ghana Cedis on new electoral role while less funds will be required to update the current register.
Addressing the media in Accra, the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said the EC has never called for an IPAC meeting to engage the parties on the need for a new voter’s register.
The EC submitted a 443, 646, 663 million Ghana Cedis budget to Parliament for the compilation of a new voter’s register for approval.
The NDC is questioning the need for a new register but the current one has been used for several electoral exercises including the newly created regions and the just ended District Assembly and Unit Committee elections.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia indicated that the money the EC requesting for the compilation of a new voter’s register could be used for other pressing issues of national interest instead of the new register.
He described the actions by the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensah and her Deputy, Dr. Bossman Asare as sinister motive.
“Their motive conduct so far portends a devious plan to set the stage to suppress voter numbers in the strongholds of the NDC and to bloat voter numbers in strongholds of NPP. We have been been led to the impression that the current EC chair sees her mandate only in terms if getting Nana Akufo-Addo reelected even if it means subverting the hard won reputation of that otherwise respected institution.” he emphasized.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia explained that NDC’s position that the current register is fit for purpose, does not mean that the register is perfect and that further improvement through improved technology is not possible.
He called on the EC to emulate the example set by the former Chairman of the EC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan and set up a joint technical team made up if representatives if the political parties to work together with the EC technical team to come up with solutions to the technical challenges the EC claims it is having in order to enhance transparency and also inspire confidence in their system.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia also called on the media, civil society groups, moral society and the diplomatic community to add their voice in the decision of the EC under the Jean Mensah and Dr. Bossman Asare to compile a new voter’s register for the 2020 elections.
By: GD
