Politics
NDC Vs EC: Atik Mohammed Beams With Joy Over Supreme Court Ruling
PNC Stalwart, Atik Mohammed has expressed utter joy over the Supreme Court ruling on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) suit against the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voters' register for the 2020 elections.
A 7-member panel presided over by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, by a unanimous decision, dismissed the NDC case and held that the EC is an independent body and will only be directed by the court if it acts contrary to law.
The seven member panel that heard the case included Justices Jones Dotse, Paul Baffoe Bonnie, Sule Gbagegbe, Samuel K. Marful-Sau, Nene Amegatcher, and Professor Ashie Kotey.
Thursday Ruling
The Supreme Court on Thursday, June 25, 2020 delivered its verdict on whether or not the EC decision to exclude the existing voter ID card as one of the identification documents for registration during the upcoming voters' registration exercise is constitutional.
The Supreme Court granted only two reliefs sought by the NDC which had nothing to do with the inclusion of an existing voter ID card as source documents and dismissed all the other reliefs.
The Apex Court further ordered that the compilation of the new register should be in compliance with C.I 126 which backs the EC to accept only the Ghana card and passport for the exercise.
Atik Mohammed Thanks Supreme Court
Speaking on 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Atik Mohammed was exceptionally happy that the Apex Court has given the EC the green light to conduct the registration exercise.
He therefore urged all Ghanaians of eligible voting age to participate in the exercise.
"All Ghanaians should prepare themselves, on the 30th of June, we're going to register our names," he stressed.
NPP May Lose Their Parliamentary Seats Come December - Atik Mohamed
Forty (40) MPs reportedly lost their seats to new Parliamentary aspirants who will then contest at the national level, come December 7th, to represent their constituencies and the NPP in Parliament.
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has expressed worry over the loss of the experienced MPs saying it is a major setback as it impedes the work of the Legislative House.
He has therefore called on the NPP leadership to institute a mechanism to protect the sitting MPs.
Addressing the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Atik Mohammed believed should the NPP fail to do their homework well, they may lose a lot of the Parliamentary seats to their opponents during the general elections.
He exposited that the Parliamentarians who lost their positions are largely the ones who took the seats from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and so losing them may give the opposition party an upperhand.
"Some of the losses, some of the incumbents that they lost; they might have some effects coming their way. When you look at the diffference between NPP and NDC in terms of Parliamentary seats, some were seats that were taken from NDC that was for the first time...Those who don't deserve protection, you have protected them but those who worked hard to claim the seats for the first time, you have unseated them. If you don't take care, you will lose those seats," he said.
Postpone Elections To 2021 — Mr. Kwasi Addae
The founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Mr Kwasi Addae aka Odike, has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to postpone the 2020 elections to 2021.
According to him, the continuous rise in the infections of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country would not create an enabling environment for the organisation of a credible parliamentary and presidential election for 2020.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Mr Addae said the current state of affairs would also make it virtually impossible for the EC to strictly follow its schedule timetable for an effective election.
“No one can tell me that looking at the rate of the infection spreading in the country, the pandemic will end very soon,” he said.
More time
Mr Addae further said even if the pandemic should end before December, this year, the EC would still need more time to follow due process in order to organise a credible election.
“The EC needs enough time to embark on public education before its intended registration exercise, attend to challenges from unqualified registrants, undertake exhibition of the voters register and then prepare for the main election on December 7."
When asked what should be done to avert a constitutional crisis in the event the EC postpones the elections, Mr Addae said the constitution could be amended to deal with the situation, adding “protecting human lives must be the topmost priority.”
Change strategy
Mr Addae called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his team of experts to change strategy in the fight against COVID-19 to halt the spread of the pandemic in the country.
He said he believed the President lifted the restriction on movement too early.
“The government must revise its tactics to deal with this pandemic,” he said.
Source: Daily Graphic
He said the NDC then cited the Covid-19 situation in the country as their excuse for boycotting that meeting.
According to John Boadu, it was at that very meeting that the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) discussed details of its proposed amendments to the existing Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 91) for the conduct of Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
The proposed amendments, he said, included the decision to exclude the existing voters’ ID card from the requirements for voter registration, among other things.
The NDC had, in a press conference addressed by its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, last Thursday, accused the EC of flouting Regulation 2(3) of C.I. 91 which mandates the Commission to inform political parties on any proposals for the amendments to the Constitutional Instrument (C.I. 91) not later than 21 days before the first day of the national registration of voters.
The largest opposition party proceeded on the basis of this to slam the election management body, accusing it of conspiring with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to rig the 2020 general elections for the governing NPP because it had consistently failed to involve the NDC in its processes.
The NDC also accused the EC of surreptitiously removing the existing voters’ ID card as well as birth certificate as part of requirements for compilation of a new register.
The General Secretary of the party, however, expressed shock at the conduct of the NDC, stating in a one-on-one interview on the AM Show on the Joy News Channel on Monday that the NDC is being desperate and hypocritical.
According to him, the NDC has rather chosen not to make itself available for such engagements with the EC.
“The NDC boycotted the last IPAC meeting at which meeting details of the EC’s CI on the registering of voters and the conduct of election 2020 was exhaustively discussed before it was laid in Parliament. How can you boycott a meeting and then months later, hold a press conference accusing the election management body of failing to discuss the CI with political parties? You just can’t understand the NDC’s desperation,” he disclosed.
The NPP chief scribe added that the parties were given ample opportunity to make inputs into the CI, a lot of which were taken on board by the EC in fine-tuning the document
On the exclusion of the exxisting voters’ ID card and birth certificate from the requirements for a new voter registration, John Boadu said a majority of the political parties at this meeting agreed with the EC’s proposal to exclude it and start on a clean slate having justified same.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Mr Addae said the current state of affairs would also make it virtually impossible for the EC to strictly follow its schedule timetable for an effective election.
“No one can tell me that looking at the rate of the infection spreading in the country, the pandemic will end very soon,” he said.
More time
Mr Addae further said even if the pandemic should end before December, this year, the EC would still need more time to follow due process in order to organise a credible election.
“The EC needs enough time to embark on public education before its intended registration exercise, attend to challenges from unqualified registrants, undertake exhibition of the voters register and then prepare for the main election on December 7."
When asked what should be done to avert a constitutional crisis in the event the EC postpones the elections, Mr Addae said the constitution could be amended to deal with the situation, adding “protecting human lives must be the topmost priority.”
Change strategy
Mr Addae called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his team of experts to change strategy in the fight against COVID-19 to halt the spread of the pandemic in the country.
He said he believed the President lifted the restriction on movement too early.
“The government must revise its tactics to deal with this pandemic,” he said.
Source: Daily Graphic
EC discussed amendments at IPAC meeting boycotted by NDC – Boadu
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) John Boadu has disclosed that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) boycotted the last meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) held on March 25, 2020 at the EC Conference Room.
He said the NDC then cited the Covid-19 situation in the country as their excuse for boycotting that meeting.
According to John Boadu, it was at that very meeting that the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) discussed details of its proposed amendments to the existing Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 91) for the conduct of Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
The proposed amendments, he said, included the decision to exclude the existing voters’ ID card from the requirements for voter registration, among other things.
The NDC had, in a press conference addressed by its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, last Thursday, accused the EC of flouting Regulation 2(3) of C.I. 91 which mandates the Commission to inform political parties on any proposals for the amendments to the Constitutional Instrument (C.I. 91) not later than 21 days before the first day of the national registration of voters.
The largest opposition party proceeded on the basis of this to slam the election management body, accusing it of conspiring with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to rig the 2020 general elections for the governing NPP because it had consistently failed to involve the NDC in its processes.
The NDC also accused the EC of surreptitiously removing the existing voters’ ID card as well as birth certificate as part of requirements for compilation of a new register.
The General Secretary of the party, however, expressed shock at the conduct of the NDC, stating in a one-on-one interview on the AM Show on the Joy News Channel on Monday that the NDC is being desperate and hypocritical.
According to him, the NDC has rather chosen not to make itself available for such engagements with the EC.
“The NDC boycotted the last IPAC meeting at which meeting details of the EC’s CI on the registering of voters and the conduct of election 2020 was exhaustively discussed before it was laid in Parliament. How can you boycott a meeting and then months later, hold a press conference accusing the election management body of failing to discuss the CI with political parties? You just can’t understand the NDC’s desperation,” he disclosed.
The NPP chief scribe added that the parties were given ample opportunity to make inputs into the CI, a lot of which were taken on board by the EC in fine-tuning the document
On the exclusion of the exxisting voters’ ID card and birth certificate from the requirements for a new voter registration, John Boadu said a majority of the political parties at this meeting agreed with the EC’s proposal to exclude it and start on a clean slate having justified same.
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