The chairman of the Research and Advocacy platform who doubles as a member of the governing National Democratic Congress, Abdul Razak is accusing the opposition New Patriotic Party of instigating Abu Ramadan to drag the Electoral Commission to court over the voters register. “I’m saying that Abu Ramadan articulated the views of NPP in court…Yes Abu Ramadan is entitled to his views, he is entitled to go to court, he is entitled to exercise his right to challenge any other step that the EC takes, that’s his view but I am saying that the NPP is largely behind some of these processes to slow the planning of the 2016 election,” he claimed.
While contributing to discussions on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue, Mr. Razak also argued that the uproar against the EC over the Supreme Court’s ruling on the voters register was needless. “What is the NPP doing to contribute to the process of November 2016 election? Yes they are entitled to hold their views on this issues but to hold the nation to ransom with an issue of voter register when there are clear processes to deal with this is unfortunate. So I hold the view that, that this debate about voters’ registers is completely needless.” Meanwhile, a member of the NPP who was also on the show vehemently rejected the claim. He insisted that the NPP did not instigate Abu Ramadan’s court case saying “what he [Abdul Razak] is saying is wrong.” Background Abu Ramadan, a former National Youth Organizer of the People’s National Convention (PNC) had won two cases against the Electoral Commission, one, in 2014 and the other on May 5, 2016. Abu Radaman had sued the EC for registering persons who used the National Insurance Health Scheme (NHIS) cards as a form of identification. The Supreme Court’s rulings in all the two cases went in favour of Abu Ramadan. In the May 5 ruling, the Supreme Court ordered the EC to delete NHIS card registrants from the voters register as well as ensure that such persons are re-registered if they are able to prove to be Ghanaians. NHIS voters not automatically void Meanwhile, the EC’s position on the ruling has ignited an uproar in the country.
The EC had argued that though it will comply with the Supreme Court’s order, after studying the ruling, they are to delete the names of the NHIS card holders as per laid down procedures. A statement signed by Georgina Opoku Amankwaa, a Deputy Chair of the Commission in charge of Corporate Services said they are ready to implement the directives by following existing applicable laws on cleaning the register. “That the existing law has made ample and sufficient provisions for ineligible names to be deleted during the exhibition of the provisional register but such deletions must be in accordance with the applicable law.
For persons who registered with NHIA cards, such registrations were lawful at the time of registration, and the subsequent declaration of unconstitutionality in the earlier Abu Ramadan case, does not ‘automatically render them void’. Such a position according to the Supreme Court, would have the effect of disenfranchising the persons affected. Such registrations should only be deleted by means of processes established under the law.”
By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
