Be 'forthright and decisive' on new voters’ register – Danquah Institute tells EC

The Danquah Institute has emphasized that the current voters’ register cannot be deemed to be accurate and credible, asking that the current electoral roll be jettisoned by the Electoral Commission(EC) as the nation heads to the December polls.

Addressing a Press conference, the Executive Director of the Institute, Richard Ahiagba urged the EC to be forthright and decisive in its approach and processes in restoring the sanctity of the electoral roll insisting the “current register is not fit for purpose”

The main opposition NDC has taken a strong position to fight the EC’s resolve to start the compilation of a new voters’ register ahead of this year’s elections.

It believes the EC’s scheduled date for the compilation of the voters’ register cannot happen as a result of the EC’s unpreparedness towards the exercise.

Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Peter Otukonor told Kasapa 102.5 FM that the nebulous information provided by the election management body on the exercise fuels the suspicion that the EC is not ready for the registration.

“If you look at the C.I and compare to their perceived activities all things being equal we can get a certified register ready by the first week in December. And what time will you issue the writ of election? Meanwhile, the writ of election should be issued after you have a certified register. ” he told host Kweku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa Morning Show.

But the Danquah Institute has said it’ll lend its advocacy support to the EC,”if it is its goal to redeem the embarrassing illegality and the unlawful conduct of their predecessors”

“In so far as we are committed to promoting democracy in Ghana and we have the duty of care to rise above all entrenched partisan interests to declare on the face of this evidence that the current register constituted under C.I 72 is not credible and a new one should be compiled, we owe this to ourselves and to our posterity to speak out in the interest of our democracy.”

It added the Supreme court ruling in the Abu Ramadan, Evans Nimako versus EC case issued an order to perpetually injunct or stop the EC from using the voter ID issued under C.I 72 from being used as a form of qualification to being on any voter register.

“The reason why we cannot use the current voter ID; the reason the EC excluded it from the C.I 126 is that it would be amounting to not complying with the directive given by the Supreme court,” the D.I Boss argued.

The Electoral Commission is scheduled to begin the compilation of a new voters’ register in June 2020 ahead of the December polls.

This was made known by the EC during last Wednesday’s IPAC meeting which was boycotted by the main opposition NDC.

According to the EC, the new voter registration exercise is scheduled to begin by the end of June by which time the C.I which is currently before parliament would have matured.