Register for polls whether EC compiles new roll or not - Mahama

Former President, John Dramani Mahama has asked Ghanaians to participate in any form of voter registration exercise undertaken by the Electoral Commission (EC) in the build-up to the 2020 general elections.

He says although his party, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has its own disagreements with the EC’s insistence to use a new voters’ register for the polls, they will not undermine the democracy of the country should the Supreme

Court not rule in their favour in the case challenging the legality of the compilation of a new electoral roll. Speaking during a community engagement at the Tongor area of South Dayi in the Volta Region, the NDC flagbearer urged the Chiefs and people to

use their influence to encourage the citizenry to register in whatever registration the Supreme Court allows the EC to conduct in order to exercise their franchise on December 7, 2020. “I want to remind all our citizens that, this year is an election year.

The Electoral Commission has decided that it wants to conduct a registration exercise. We had disagreements with the Electoral Commission on what register to use and the matter has been at the Supreme Court and we are waiting for the Supreme Court for its verdict.

Whatever verdict the Supreme Court gives, we are ready to be law-abiding citizens so we shall respect the verdict of the court. But whatever the verdict is, there is going to be a registration exercise whether a limited registration, new registration exercise, or validation of an existing register. 

Whichever registration it is, I will like to plead with Togbui to beat the gong to all our people to come out and register so that in December they can register and exercise their votes, ” he said.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has dragged the Electoral Commission to court over attempts by the electoral management body to compile a new voters’ register ahead of the 2020 general elections.

The NDC argues in its suit that the EC lacks the power to go ahead with its plans because it can only “compile a register of voters only once, and thereafter revise it periodically, as may be determined by law”.

The NDC in its case is also praying the court to declare as illegal the decision of the EC not to use the old voter ID cards as a proof of Ghanaian identity for the compilation of the new register.

The party subsequently dropped its case against the new register and opted for a ruling on the rejection of the existing voter ID as a form of identification to register to vote. John Mahama said the party awaits the hearing of the matter at the Supreme Court.