John Mahama Poses Serious Question to EC

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The Electoral Commission (EC), according to former President John Dramani Mahama, must allow the guarantor system to function during the voter registration process.

Mr. Mahama stated that there should be another method by which Ghanaians can demonstrate their citizenship until the majority of eligible voters possess a Ghana Card.

EC Chair Jean Mensa stated that the Ghana Card will only be used for voter registration, not voting in the 2024 general elections.

Madam Jean Mensa stated on Tuesday, February 28 that the use of Ghana will guarantee the credibility and integrity of the voter register when she briefed Parliament on the proposed CI, which seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for voter registration.

“It is important to reiterate that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole form of identification will ensure and guarantee the credibility and integrity of our register and elections, prevent the registration of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, and eliminate the guarantor system, which is prone to abuse and encourages conflicts and violence.”

She continued, “In 2024, the Ghana Card will be used to register, not vote.”

The Minority has been complaining about the CI that is being proposed.

When Mr. Mahama was speaking to NDC delegates in the Ketu North Constituency as part of his campaign to become the NDC’s flagbearer, he said that even the Ghana Card registration that is handled by the National Identification Authority (NIA) allows guarantors.

Mr. Mahama stated, “You just can’t understand the sense with which the EC are pushing this stubbornly. James Kluste Avedzi [Member of Parliament for Ketu North] and co. are fighting in Parliament against a Constitutional Instrument that says if you don’t have Ghana Card, you can’t register.”

“The point is, we are not against the Ghana card; I myself have a Ghana Card; I appeared on television and encouraged all Ghanaians, including NDC members, to obtain their Ghana Cards; the point is, the NIA asserts that they do not have any money; they do possess the cards in the warehouse; however, they are unable to pay and take them. You must travel to the district capital to obtain a card, even if they pay and take. They cannot go around and give everyone a card and yet at the back of all these, they are insisting on their position” He stated.

“I stated that these are people who do not even comprehend Ghana’s geography. If you go to my constituency of Bole Bamboi, the branch that is farthest away from the district capital is 82 miles away. How much will it cost for someone to drive to the district capital, apply for a Ghana Card, and return?” He quizzed.

He continued “The most annoying thing is when you go, they take your biometrics and say they can’t print the card, so you have to go back home, which is 82 miles, and come back in two weeks, which is another 82 miles, to get it.

It is incomprehensible. Until the majority of Ghanaians over the age of 18 possess a Ghana Card, we must use another system to verify their citizenship. What kind of people are you if my child does not have a Ghana Card, even though I have one, my wife has one, and the child is ours, but we are unable to go and ensure that our child is a Ghanaian?” He quizzed again.

“Even the Ghana Card itself allows guarantors; two people can guarantee that you are a Ghanaian if you do not possess a passport or a birth certificate.

If Ghana Card uses a guarantor system, then why can’t voters’ registration use one?

Also, see Bono Region: Watch the video to see a pastor arrested with human parts. “They know what they want to do. Because of this, they only want the Ghana Card. They can then carry out what they refer to as “voter suppression” and disenfranchise a lot of our people. What they do is frustrate you and ensure that you do not have a Ghana Card in areas where they have strongholds, while in areas where they do not have strongholds, they will ensure that more people have the Ghana Card.

“You go to the district offices here in the Volta region, and every day after giving fifteen people their cards, they will tell you that the system is down, and every day the system is down in the Volta region, that is what we call voter suppression,” the statement reads.