New voters’ register will never happen - Asiedu Nketia vows again

General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has emphatically stated that the Electoral Commission (EC) will never ever carry out its decision to compile a new register for the 2020 general elections.

According to him, the fact that the NDC is taking part in the ongoing pilot registration exercise across the country does not mean the largest opposition political party has consented to the decision of the EC to compile a new register.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, General Mosquito as affectionately called held the belief that the EC and the Akufo-Addo government simply want to plunge the country into chaos.

“Let me emphasize that we have not reached there yet; the registration will never take place today or tomorrow because when you listen to comments by the EC and the government, it's obvious they want to throw our democracy into confusion, otherwise they would have retracted and retreated from their unreasonable stance”, he charged.

Assigning reasons why compiling a new voters register is not possible, the NDC Chief Scribe said "we were in this country when the NPP organized some people from abroad and they went to court that it is compulsory for the EC to register every Ghanaian irrespective of where they reside to take part in the elections of the country. The court ruled in their favour that it is mandated on the EC to every single qualified Ghanaian to vote in the country".

To him, if not for the outbreak of the COVID-19, the EC would have included those eligible Ghanaians abroad in the registration exercise in consonance with the Supreme Court's ruling.

“The EC is time-bound to register every Ghanaian to take part in elections. Is that court ruling not applicable to Ghanaians in the country if you are unable to register those abroad due to the COVID-19? Are they not Ghanaians? How can you say that you are going to register someone in England but those in Bolga cannot take part because they don’t have appropriate documents for the registration?" he quizzed.

He wondered how those Ghanaians trapped outside the borders of the country can partake in the proposed new voter registration exercise as the country's borders still remain closed.

“As we speak, our borders remain closed...the court has instructed you (EC) to expand the register to include every qualified Ghanaian but your behaviour is such that you rather want to disenfranchise those who were even eligible to register by coming up with a new registration exercise while the borders remain closed . . .

“We want our peace and so we will not sit down for someone to toy with the country's hard-earned democratic credentials. We have to be far-sighted and listen to wisdom to protect our peace. The punishment the wise who refuses to participate in matters that affect him or her suffers, is to live under the laws of foolish men,” he pointed out.