Asiedu Nketia - New voters' register is not remedy for peaceful elections

Asiedu Nketia

 He also believed there is still not a clearly identified problem in the voter's register to be solved.


The National Democratic Congress, NDC has said it does not subscribe to any suggestions that the current voters register should be replaced.

Speaking at the stakeholders forum on the voters' register organised by the electoral commission, General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said the appropriate thing to be done should be an audit of the register.

He believed a new voter register would not necessary lead to a peaceful elections in 2016.

“And who said pandering to the whims of the NPP would lead to peace after 2016 elections,” he added.
 

Five-member panel at the EC forum

According to him, arguments by other parties especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that there are minors in the register used in 2012 elections are baseless.

"The debate we are dealing with now is not under registration but over registration," he added.

He also believed there is still not a clearly identified problem in the voter's register to be solved.

"We as the NDC, we don't believe in the problem identified," he added.

A five-member panel set up by the Electoral Commission will conduct the public hearings over the next two days. 

Chairperson of EC, Charlotte Osei

Political parties and civil society groups which have sent proposals to the EC over the demand for a new register are expected to appear before the panel to justify their positions.

Others against the call for a new register would make their case why the current register must be maintained.

Chairman of the five-member panel, His Lordship Professor V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe has said the voter register is not the responsibility of the EC.

He further assured members at the forum that their views will be heard and the report be submitted to the EC.

"The final decision does not lie with us," he added.

His Lordship Professor V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe

The Panel is made up of His Lordship Professor V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe, Co-Chair of the Coalition for Domestic Election Observers, (CODEO), former Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, former Professor of Law, and former Electoral Commissioner of Ghana; Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana and Chairman of the National Peace Council.

The rest are Dr. Grace Bediako, a former Government Statistician and former member of the National Development Planning Commission; Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor, a renowned computer scientist, Chairman of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) Board of Directors, and President of the Internet Society of Ghana; and Maulvi Bin Salih, Ameer of the Ahmadiyya Mission of Ghana.


source.pulse.com.gh