NPP, NDC haggle over electoral roll

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), yesterday threw political tantrums at each other over the compilation of a new voters register by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the 2020 general election.

At a press conference yesterday, the NDC accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of teaming up with the EC and the National Identification Authority (NIA) to use the compilation of a new voters register to rig the 2020 elections.

However, the NPP countered with its own press conference later in the day and said it did not need the EC to rig the 2020 elections in its favour to win the elections.

According to the NPP, it intended to fight and win the election based on its sterling performance in government.

The NPP also wondered why the NDC was so fixated on forcing the current register which was compiled in 2012 down the throat of the EC and Ghanaians.

“What is it about the 2012 register that the NDC is threatening civil war if it is changed for a better one?” the NPP asked.

NDC press conference 

At the NDC’s press conference, the National Chairman of the party, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said the EC and NIA bosses intended to rig the elections by denying about 11 million Ghanaians the Ghana Card to enable them take part in the EC’s planned compilation of new voters register.

He said majority of those who would be denied the Ghana Card were in the stronghold of the NDC.

According to him, the decision by the EC to use the Ghana Card and passport as the only required documents to get registered as a voter was a calculated plan as part of the rigging process as many people would be disenfranchised.

“As we predicted, the Ghana card registration process by the NIA has been very slow such that till date, the process which commenced with a pilot late 2017 and was supposed to be completed in one year, has been able to register only 11,062,055 out of about 19 million Ghanaians (15 years and above) who are eligible to be registered.

Even more bizarre is the fact that, out of this 11 million Ghanaians who have been registered, only 7,074,048 have been issued with cards (per NIA’s own website https:nia.gov.gh) as at 2nd May, 2020),” he explained.

President in bed with EC and NIA

The NDC national chairman said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was in support of the rigging attempts by the EC and the NIA.

“Having failed to deliver on his promises to the people of this country, and seeing defeat staring glaringly at him, President Akufo-Addo in conjunction with the Jean Mensah-led EC and the Ken Attafuah-led NIA are desperately scheming to rig the 2020 general election and hold on to power at all cost,” he said.

Excellent performance

However, in a press conference, the campaign manager of the NPP for the 2020 elections, Mr Peter Mac Manu, said the NPP would win the 2020 elections based on its strong performance.

“We do not need the EC to rig an election in our favour. We intend to fight and win in December based on our performance.

“A government that has put 1.3 million children in school does not need an election to be rigged in its favour.  A government that has restored industries and is creating jobs for industries does not need elections to be rigged in its favour.

“A government that has put the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian first, whether it is protecting money of millions of depositors or absorbing the cost of electricity and water of Ghanaians when there is a crisis, does not need to rig elections,” he said.

Clueless Mahama

The NPP campaign manager said the NDC should not waste the time of Ghanaians but must rather “face up to realities  of the time” and find ways to convince Ghanaians on why they must vote for its flag bearer, Former President John Dramani Mahama.

“The NDC must convince Ghanaians why they must bring an inept, clueless and incompetent Mahama back to power after he ran down the country in the manner that he did,” he said.

New voters register

Mr Mac Manu said although the NPP supported the compilation of a new voters’ register, the party was not basing its electoral fortunes on the register.

“With or without a new register, the NPP is prepared to campaign and win the endorsement of the overwhelming majority of the Ghanaian people once again in the next polls, based purely on what we are delivering to protect and improve the lives of the people in the country,” he said.