Voters register: NDC abandons case challenging EC’s decision to conduct exercise

The leadership of the NDC has rescinded its decision to stop the Electoral Commission (EC) from going ahead with the voter registration exercise.

Having earlier filed a suit to challenge the electoral body’s decision to conduct the exercise at the Supreme Court, the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, aborted parts of the suit on Thursday morning.

The NDC’s suit at the Supreme Court is based on two premises - first, that the attempt by the EC to compile a new register was unconstitutional and second that the decision of the EC to exclude an existing voter ID as a form of identification for the exercise was also unconstitutional.

Graphic.com.gh reports that lawyer for the NDC, Mr Godwin Kodzo Tameklo, abandoned the first leg which had to do with the constitutionality of the EC’s decision to conduct that exercise.

Their decision was arrived at after the court told the counsel that, a party cannot be seeking a relief and also asked to be granted another relief in the alternative.

Following consultations, the Counsel decided to abort the relief that had to do with the EC’s decision to conduct the registration exercise.

Background

The National Democratic Congress in March, this year, invoked the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret the constitution with a case that it was unconstitutional for the EC to reject an existing voters ID as a prerequisite for the upcoming voter registration exercise.

It is the contention of the NDC that it is unconstitutional for the EC to reject an existing voter ID as it will disenfranchise many Ghanaians which is a violation of Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution.

The NDC further argues that per Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution the EC can only compile a voter registration once and periodically revise it.

A seven member-panel of the Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah will determine the suit on June 23.

Other Justices on the panel are Jones Dotse, Paul Baffoe Bonnie, Sule Gbadegbe, Samuel K Marful-Sau, Nene Amegatcher, and Professor Ashie Kotey.