The Electoral Commission (EC) has repeatedly pushed for the adoption of the National Identification Card to be the only document required for voter registration and the procurement of a voter's ID card, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that it opposes this.
The group claims that it is unconstitutional to do away with passports and the guarantor system.
At a news conference on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the national chairman of the NDC, emphasized that if the EC's plan is carried out, many Ghanaians will be denied the opportunity to vote.
What this means is that all potential voters who are unable to receive the national ID card issued by the NIA due to no fault of their own will be severely disenfranchised if the C.I. is passed in its current form. They would not have had the opportunity to exercise the right guaranteed to them by Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution.
The party stated that the proposed new Constitutional Instrument (CI) does not bode well for Ghana's electoral system because it would make the Ghana card the only acceptable form of identification for voter ID card registration.
Because of this, we thought it odd that the Electoral Commission would conduct a news conference and ask the NIA to move forward with registration. Obviously, to say otherwise would be to put words in the EC's mouth. Therefore, making the Ghana Card the only condition for voter registration will help to revoke the right to vote for millions of Ghanaians.
The NDC contends that since many Ghanaians lack the card, the measure will essentially disenfranchise thousands.
The yet-to-be-introduced regulation, according to Mr. Ofosu Ampofo, violates the nation's constitution.
"We want to remind the Electoral Commission that its decisions and inactions have a significant impact on the nation's peace and security. The NDC's conviction that the Electoral Commission and the New Patriotic Party colluded to rig the 2024 elections is strengthened by the Electoral Commission's actions.
Mr. Ofosu Ampofo continued by saying that the NDC would employ all tools at its disposal to thwart any attempts by the EC and NPP administration to rig the 2024 elections.
We simply refuse to allow any manipulations before, during, or after the 2024 elections given the enormous stakes involved, and we will demand the strictest standards in the procedures leading up to those polls as a party with a legitimate interest in the elections.
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