The opposition National Democratic Congress, through its parliamentary wing, has questioned the rationale behind the use of the Ghana Card as the sole identification for new entrants onto the nation’s electoral register by the Electoral Commission.
According to the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrissu, any attempt by the Electoral Commission to resort to the use of the Ghana Card as the only identification for those yet to register to vote would be unlawful as same cannot be justified by any legislation.
According to the Minority, this is another rigging machinery being rolled out by the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission to ensure the continuity of the ruling New Patriotic Party after the 2024 elections.
In a twist of events ABC News has found out that the law mandating the Ghana Card to be the sole identity card for voter registration exercises was passed by President John Dramani Mahama in 2012.
L.I 2111 (National Identity Register Regulations, 2012) was passed in March 2012 under the Atta Mills /John Mahama’s NDC government. The regulation mandated the use of the Ghana Card as the only identification for Voter registration.
Regulation (7) of the L.I talks about MANDATORY USE OF THE IDENTIFY CARD; and Voter registration was captured amongst the list.
It is, therefore, strange why the opposition NDC members are pretending as if President Akufo-Addo has manufactured a new law to disenfranchise NDC members.
The NDC, therefore, has no justification to question the Electoral Commission on why it intends using the Ghana Card as the only identification for voter registration exercises.
It also makes the Ghana Card as the only form of identification to register a SIM card in Ghana.
Published below is the relevant section of the LI.
Source: ABClive