An alliance of smaller political parties dubbed the ‘Third Force Alliance’ has appealed to Parliament to reject the new Constitutional Instrument (C.I) the Electoral Commission (EC) is seeking to pass to make the Ghana card the sole document for proof of citizenship for the purposes of voter registration.
According to the Alliance, the C.I. in its current form is not only obnoxious and unconstitutional but also inimical to the tenets of participatory democracy in Ghana.
The group warned the CI will lead to the disenfranchisement of millions of Ghanaians and thereby occasion unjustifiable voter suppression should it be allowed to pass in its current form.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution guarantees every Ghanaian citizen who is eighteen years and above and of sound mind, the inalienable right to register and vote in public elections and referenda.”
“This very Constitution further enjoins the Electoral Commission in Article 45 to undertake programs for the expansion of the registration of voters, and not to limit or restrict the registration of voters as the Electoral Commission is seeking to do through this absurd Constitutional Instrument.”
Third Force Alliance is made up of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Ghana Union Movement (GUM), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), and other smaller political parties.
The PNC was represented at the presser by Awudu Ishaq, its National Communications Secretary; PPP was represented by Divine Nkrumah, its Director of Operations while GUM was represented by Kojo Gold, the General Secretary.
Speaking on the matter at a press conference on Thursday, March 16, 2023, National Communications Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Awudu Ishaq argued the teething challenges that continue to bedevil the Ghana card registration process should make the proposed C.I. even more objectionable.
He observed that apart from the logistical and network concerns the NIA has been hamstrung by financial constraints that have led to 3.5 million blanks being locked for indebtedness, inability to issue 645,663 cards to duly registered citizens, inability to print 631,847 cards for duly registered citizens and is yet to register an estimated 2.5 million people.
Awudu Ishaq questioned why the EC wants to expunge the guarantor system as a form of identification from the proposed CI when the acquisition of the Ghana card it is seeking to rely on uses the system to register Ghanaians.
He questioned why the EC would accept the Ghana card procured through the guarantor system as proof of citizenship at the NIA but cannot allow a similar guarantor system for voter registration.
The attempt, he said, is a devious plot by the Jean Mensah-led Electoral Commission acting in cahoots with the failed Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to subvert the inalienable right of millions of Ghanaians.
“Why is the Electoral Commission subjugating its constitutionally-guaranteed independence to some other institution such as the National Identification Authority? This decision cannot be said to be capable of enhancing the sanctity of the electoral roll and must not be accepted,” he said.
The Alliance also raised concerns about the decision of the EC to abandon registration of voters at Polling Stations and Electoral Area levels and have it done at District centers.
They argued, considering the geographical outlook of districts across the country, the arrangement would require people to travel long distances in order to access registration centers, which will not only inconvenience prospective voters but will place a financial burden on them in these very difficult times.
The Alliance stated the intent behind the CI is diabolic and amounts to bad faith and mischief by the Jean Mensa-led EC, especially in view of the Supreme Court ruling in the Abu Ramada case, which formed the basis for the compilation of new voters register for the 2020 elections.
They stated if the new CI is to become law, NPP surrogates will be sponsored to challenge the validity of the current voter register on the bases that some people used other means of identification other than the Ghana card in order to pave way for fresh registration.
They urged the Minority in particular to, therefore, do everything humanly possible to stop the CI from becoming law and vowed to defend the many silent incapacitated Ghanaians who are worried and concerned by the looming danger posed by the current form and structure of the proposed CI.