Stop procrastinating, mediate EC and political parties now – GGAGG to Peace Council

An organisation calling itself Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana (GGAGG) has petitioned the National Peace Council (NPC) to intervene in the recent impasse between the Electoral Commission and some opposition political parties over the compilation of a new register of voters before things get out of hand.

The EC has taken an entrenched position to compile a new voter register despite opposition from the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other parties.

Also, the parties are kicking against plans by the EC to resort to the use of the Ghana card and passport as proof of citizenship for the upcoming registration exercise billed to take place later this month.

According to the NDC and other opposition parties, many Ghanaians will be disenfranchised if the Ghana card and passport are accepted as the only proof of citizenship but the EC says a registered person can vouch for 10 people who do not have any of the two documents.

This has created tension between the EC and the opposition parties.

GGAGG, in its petition addressed to the Chairman of the Peace Council Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, called on them to intervene before things escalate to destroy the peaceful democracy Ghanaians are currently enjoying.

“Rt. Rev. Chairman, in the spirit of discontent and distraught in your course of action as a Body, we write to invoke Sections 1, 2 and 3 of THE NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL ACT, 2011, ACT 818 which unambiguously explains the Establishment of National Peace Council, Object of the Council and Functions of the Council respectively to seek you to intervene in the recent happenings involving the leadership of the Electoral Commission on one side and stakeholders of elections in Ghana on the other side. Prof. Chairman, the crux of all the ensuing disagreement which is gradually degenerating into destruction of peace in Ghana is about election 2020; the attempt by the leadership of electoral commission to compile a new voter register, at all cost, without satisfactory justification,” the petition said.

It added: “Rt. Rev. Chairman…we petition you to intermediate between all processes i.e. before, during and after the election 2020 to help bridge the gap of consensus building to avert any action that could trigger violence that would jeopardise the enviable peace and stability we have enjoyed as Ghanaians in this Fourth Republic. Prof. Chairman, we deem this a call of your organisation to a nation saving duty. Please, we embolden you to take action now and stop procrastinating. Wake up and be seen to be working in order to avert the saying ‘HAD WE KNOWN’ which would have been at last.”