Coronavirus: Ease on restrictions solely for rigging elections - NDC

The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has said government’s decision to ease restrictions on public gatherings is mainly to carry "out its rigging agenda through the needless and wasteful new voter registration agenda.”

According to Sammy Gyamfi, permitting places of worship to hold services with a maximum of 100 people in attendance while giving the EC and NIA the freedom to register an unlimited number was biased on the side of the Akufo-Addo-led government.

In his words, “the fact that church and mosque gatherings are not supposed to have more than 100 people in attendance, and are supposed to last for just an hour but the National Identification Authority (NIA) and EC have been given the freedom to register an unlimited number of people from 7am to 5pm. That’s for a period of 10 hours, [and] shows clearly that the so-called partial reopening of schools, churches, and mosques was only a ruse to the President's main agenda.”

Sammy Gyamfi said the NDC is appalled by the Jean Mensah-led EC’s refusal to honour the invitations of the National House of Chiefs, which were intended to promote dialogue on the matter of the EC’s entrenched decision to compile a new voters’ register for 2020 general elections.

“Our traditional authorities are key stakeholders in Ghana’s peace architecture and have contributed enormously to the peace, stability and democracy of this country. The refusal of the Jean Mensah-led EC to honour their invitations is highly disrespectful and an insult to the values and customs of this country, and must be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians,” he reiterated.

Mr Gyamfi warned that the NDC shall employ every legitimate means to stop the EC’s attempt to “foist on Ghanaians a needless and wasteful voter register that is intended to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, mostly in NDC strongholds.”