EC’s proposed C.I won’t serve interest of Ghanaians – Franklin Cudjoe

President of policy think tank, IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe does not get the reason behind the Electoral Commission’s insistence on pushing through a Constitutional Instrument to make the Ghana card the sole identification document for registering new voters.

Speaking on Citi FM/TV’s news analysis programme The Big Issue, Franklin Cudjoe said “I don’t think this C.I will serve the interest of Ghanaians. Let us allow reason to prevail.”

“The fundamental question is do we really need this? Is the Ghana card the only document that can guarantee a successful outcome in the elections? Indeed, the EC has the mandate to conduct elections.”

He further questioned the relevance of the Electoral Commission’s data system, since it seems to suggest that the NIA has a more robust one.

“If the EC is saying that the Ghana card is the only credible identification document to conduct elections then I ask myself, do we really need the EC?”

“If the EC is saying that the NIA’s card has biometric features far superior to theirs, with a far more robust guarantor system than theirs, then let’s save cost, let’s save the GH¢2 billion we are likely to spend on the upcoming elections. Maybe the EC should be VAR officials and have the NIA use their biometric machines all over the country, with their own officials. I mean, this can be said to be constitutional nonsense, but it is logical, considering all that the EC is telling us.”

The Electoral Commission (EC) is proposing a new constitutional instrument through which it intends to make the Ghana card the sole identification document for voter registration.

Meanwhile, the National Identification Authority (NIA), is set to print more Ghana cards as government has settled GH¢100 million debt owed creditors.

Printing of the cards was suspended following financial constraints faced by the NIA.

In view of this, more than 3.5 million cards were locked up in a bonded warehouse.

But appearing before Parliament on February 28, 2023, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta disclosed that an amount of GH¢20 million has been paid to CalBank following the initial payment of GH¢80 million. CNR