The founder of the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Flt. Lt. John Jerry Rawlings, alleged in Kumasi on Tuesday that the NDC had credible information that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has plans to load the new Voters Register to be compiled by the EC with ghost names to facilitate multiple voting. "We have received credible written information that the NPP government has been giving Ghanaians in Europe assurance that they would be permitted to vote in next year elections" he said.
Addressing over 10,000 Party faithfuls at Jackson Park, Kumasi to climax the party's demonstration against alleged hardship in the country dubbed “Okafo Didi”, the former President said information available to the party opens a new front for abuse of the voters’ register since there is no full-proof means of registering Ghanaian abroad. According to him the government was dead bent on killing the initiative of the EC to have photo ID card and a new voters register on flimsy grounds that it is so costly.
Mr. Rawlings who was reacting to a question on how the NDC would ensure free and fair elections, said the NDC is concerned about the plans of the NPP and the fact that the EC appears not to be privy to what may happen on the election day is even unfortunate.
"We need to reverse the trend and ensure that every participating party has the reason to believe that they have been given a fair chance to contest the election”.
"We in the NDC will call for efficiency and vigilance that will be reasonable enough to place premium on free and fair process so that civil rights will not be abused." To ensure this, the former President said the NDC is going to embark on a train the trainers programme to provide the requisite skill for a critical mass of the party functionaries throughout the country.
In an answer to another question as to what would happen if the ruling government abused the rights of the electorate, he said: "The party will collect and present their own results and if we find evidence that the will of the people have been defeated by political fraud, NDC will declare the result null and void".
Earlier, led by Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, the Flagbearer of the NDC for 2004 Elections and Mr. Rawlings, the demonstrators started from the Post Office Square through Prempeh II Street to Unicorn House and then to the overhead bridge, through Asafo roundabout to the Jackson park.
They carried placards some of which read: "We Are Dying", "Kufuor Visit Ghana" and "Re-open Investigations Into The Murder Of the 34 Women". There was a heavy Police presence.
Other high ranking NDC officials who took part in the demonstration were Dr. Nii Josiah Aryeh, General Secretary, Nana Alex Asamoah, Western Regional Chairman, Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, National Organiser, all of the party and Dr. Tony Aidoo. It’s Chairman, Dr. Obed Asamoah, who was reportedly out of the country and was expected back on Monday evening was not spotted at the March. The march was peaceful.
