A senior legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to start the voters’ registration exercise in places outside the partial lockdown.
The Electoral Commission suspended its planned compilation of a new voters’ register over the ban on public gatherings imposed on Ghanaians as part of efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease that has bedevilled the country.
The exercise was initially scheduled for April 18, 2020, but no new date has been announced following the suspension.
The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area including Tema and Kasoa as well as the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area are currently under lockdown in a bid to check the spread of the disease.
The EC has said it wants to ensure that the voters’ register that will be used for the 2020 election is more credible and efficient than the existing one hence the need for a new Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS).
Sam Okudzeto, who is also a member of the Council of State, in an interview on Eyewitness News said the EC can compile the voters’ register in batches.
“Our cases of the Coronavirus is not as dramatic as it is in many countries which means that we only have few pockets in the two big municipalities and few of the smaller ones. So since the lockdown is not the whole of Ghana, the EC should start the registration in areas where there is no lockdown,” he said.
EC and the new voters’ registration
The Electoral Commission is supposed to organize the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7.
The Commission is seeking to replace its biometric machines to better address verification challenges that could occur during the elections.
A key new feature the EC cited is the introduction of a facial recognition option in addition to fingerprint verification.
It also plans to make the Ghana Card and passport the only acceptable identification for the upcoming voter registration, but the announcement was received with mixed reactions from Ghanaians.
Opposition to new register
The move for the new register has been met with opposition from key political stakeholders, including the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The opposition party called on Ghanaians to reject the EC’s plans because it felt the commission was yet to present a compelling argument for the compilation of a new register.
Over the course of deliberations, its officials even walked out of a meeting with the EC.
Source: Daily Graphic
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Fii i couldnt agree with you less.....why should we as a country divert attention to electoral register knowing very well the issues that may come up during this the registration exercise. this country is just not sound enough to start this.
You can queue for cooked rice but can't do same for constitutional requirements of land.
What has this got to do with ndc being in opposition for ever people don't get it de npp supporters don't think and they behave like their leaders how can an old man think like that if not doing politics this are the people we call leaders he will die first before anybody else how can a right thinking person suggest at this time that registration should start from some where when we are trying to curtail the spread of COVID 19 God will punished you Mr Sam okuzdeto
@Yaa Ketewa. High Yaa Ketewa I think your advise is perfect and the best so far. Who will transmit this advise to Nana Addo for immediate implementation?
Too much sense will kill this man o. Hehehe
Very good suggestion from counsel of state member. I think it would be advisable to start the registration from his house in volta region or whatever region then to the community and the whole district until every member from the district is tested positive of coronavirus. At least the president can replace the whole district with citizens from akyem to fight homeland group. If the president cannot think of any alternative then this is the way to wipe off citizens from okudjators area and replace with akyems.
AKUFO ADDO IS PRESIDENT FOREVER. WHO IS GOING TO CONTEST HIM? AIRBUS BRIBE TAKER OF CORRUPT POWER DEAL GOVERNMENT.
This is the type of advisors the president has got, no wonder Ghana is in a messy situation. Basic common sense is lacking. Are we not sure if the same advisor is the advisor to papavi of homeland group.
At the age of 84, he is on his way home so he doesn't have anything to lose when people queue and register. He just want to go home with most Ghanaians. No one should mind such a bad man. His mindset is now that of a toddler.
He is talking about law which I know is he legally right. But morally it is wrong to compile register at this time. It is a clear case of Law versus Morality. Thanks to Dr. Kwasi Agyemang who taught me Philosophy in Legon.