Former president John Dramani Mahama has urged that accommodations be made for Ghanaians who have not yet received services or been enrolled on the Ghana Card until the card's deployment has reached its complete and comprehensive scope.
He said that doing so would allow them to exercise their democratic right to vote.
"They cannot be taken off the voter list for no fault of their own. This should be obvious and simple to understand "In his speech at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority Caucus Workshop's closing ceremony in Ho, Mr. Mahama made the following statement.
The programme was set up to hone the abilities and expand the NDC Minority Caucus' knowledge base as legislators.
He pointed out that by insisting on using the Ghana Card as the only form of identification for a voter card, the Electoral Commission (EC) is intent to ensure the disenfranchisement of portions of the Ghanaian community at any costs.
"How can you do this, knowing that not everyone who qualifies for a Ghana Card can get one?" Inquired Mr. Mahama.
The Ghana Card, he noted, "is a relatively new aspect of our national life and has its virtues in the grand scheme of things," adding that "today, it is being wielded more as a political weapon around which all manner of schemes is being fashioned towards elections."
The former president said that before implementing this type of counterproductive exclusion of all other legally acquired, reputable, and time-tested forms of identity, it was necessary to give it enough time to fully integrate into Ghanaians' way of life.
He said that the National Identification Authority (NIA) could not assert that it had registered every eligible Ghanaian or given out all of the printed cards to those who had been identified in its database.
According to Mr. Mahama, "they have not given out hundreds of thousands of cards to persons who have registered."
Therefore, it is obvious that the Electoral Commission's haste in banning all other forms of identification was motivated by an ulterior motive.
He noted that the Minority Caucus in Parliament had voiced concerns last week about alleged plans to create a new register using just the Ghana Card.
He said that the EC had quickly refuted any such plans.
He said that, had the Commission's present leadership not taken over, this rejection would have put an end to the situation.
Mr. Mahama stated, "We in the NDC will keep everlasting watch to guarantee that no such thing happens. The Commission in its present incarnation is known to have walked back on such agreements in the previous past.
He pointed out that in order to prevent fraud and exploitation to the unfair benefit of any party, the EC's proposed continuous registration procedure must unavoidably include a system that allows all political parties and important stakeholders to monitor it in real time.
According to the former president, "We in the NDC will insist on this."
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