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The NDC opposition has mounted new resistance to the Electoral Commission (EC) decision to exclude the identification of old voters from their intention to compile a new roll for the 2020 general election.
The NDC has already emphasized its opposition to compiling the registry, arguing that it is unnecessary.
At a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Thursday, the party’s national president, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, reaffirmed his disagreement with the decision to exclude the identification of former voters from the requirements for the new one.
Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said that this is a ploy to deprive many voters; especially in the strengths of the NDC; The largest opposition party.
Under the new Constitutional Instrument, only the Ghana Card, issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA), and the Ghana Passport are primary requirements for obtaining the identification of new voters.
The NDC claims that this would lead to more than 62 percent of the voting population losing their franchise.
According to Ofosu-Ampofo, data recovered from the NIA says that of the 17.3 million Ghanaians who are over the age of 18, the voting age, only 6.5 million have been registered and issued with the Ghana card.
That leaves more than 10.7 million electorates without one of the main documents that the EC intends to rely on for the compilation of the registry.
With just a paltry two million (estimated) of the entire citizenship holding passports, Ofosu-Ampofo says the only option eligible voters have is to resort to affidavits to prove their citizenship.
“This is a recipe for chaos,” he told reporters.
The party also gave a regional breakdown of the cards issued by the NIA, arguing that most residents in the NDC strongholds do not have the card.
This, says the NDC, is a grand scheme by the EC and NIA to manipulate the December general election for President Akufo-Addo and the PNP.
Meanwhile, the NDC has already sued the EC on the decision to compile the new electoral roll, arguing that the electoral management body has no right to do so.
The NDC asserts that under Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution, the EC can only compile a new roll once and then review it.
