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Samuel Tetteh, Deputy EC Chair
The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has insisted it will go ahead with plans to compile a new voters’ register despite stiff opposition from some opposition political parties, ABC News can report.
According to Deputy EC Chair in-charge of Operations, Samuel Tetteh, their decision to compile a new register is backed by the constitution, thus they will not be deterred by positions taken by some of its stakeholders.
Six Political; the All People’s Congress (APC), Egle Party, United Peoples Party (UPP), United Front Party (UFP), People’s National Convention (PNC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who make up the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voters’ Register, have pledged to stage series of demonstrations to register their disapproval with the EC for its decision to compile a new register.
The first, of these demonstrations, which is dubbed ‘YenPeNe’ to wit, we will not agree, will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2020, in Tamale, capital of Northern Region, followed by similar protests in Kumasi and Accra on January 21, and 28, respectively.
At a press conference, yesterday, the coalition stated that the timing for the compilation of the register is wrong and therefore called on Civil Society Organizations, as well as, Faith-based organizations to join them and rise against the EC.
They also claim that the EC has not sufficiently convinced them on the need to conduct the exercise hence amounts to waste of the taxpayers’ money.
But reacting to this, the Deputy EC chair says no political party can prevent the EC from fulfilling their constitutional mandate which gives them the right to compile and revise voters’ registers as and when necessary.
“EC is an independent organization and it was actually accepted by the constitution. It has a clear mandate, a clear function, and we all work in the interest of the Nation. What the EC thinks is the best is what they can do so it is not up to one or two political parties to decide for the people.
“I’m not privy to the press conference so I don’t know the political parties who are saying that there’s no need. What I’m saying is that even if they have their position, definitely that one cannot counter-act the constitutional mandate given by the EC so far as the compilation of a new voters register is concerned” he stated.
He added, “they have actually made their intentions known at the IPAC meetings that they are not in favour of the new register but don’t forget that the 1992 Constitution, Article 45(a) actually gives the commission the mandate to compile a voters’ register and then revise it as such periods that it may consider necessary.”
