Politics of Wednesday, 8 January 2020

Source: mynewsgh.com

New Voters’ Register: EC has sewn a shirt before taking measurements of client – Asiedu Nketia

NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia play videoNDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia

General Secretary of opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia has argued that there is no need for a new voters’ register noting that the Electoral Commission’s haste in deciding that there is the need for a new voters’ register is like getting a material and sewing a shirt before looking for a client to take his or her measurement.

Speaking at a press conference Monday, Mr Asiedu Nketia argued that the need for a new voters’ register should have been established with stakeholders before the Electoral Commission’s announcement that there is the need for a new voters’ roll, insisting that the Electoral Commission (EC) is struggling to find justification for a new voters’ register.

“We discuss and agree that there is the need to change. Then from this where do we go? What do we want? Then we all debate that one also. And agree that this is what we want before you go looking for the person who will supply what you want.

In this Jean Mensa scenario, they have looked for the person who will supply what we want without us knowing what we want. Before coming to talk to us about the need to change. Why is it that they are now arguing with Ghanaians and trying to convince us the need to change the register when they are already procuring?

If you haven’t established the need to change the existing system, why are you already in procurement?

See, so they have turned the whole thing upside down. Look for a material, sew a shirt, before you go and look for the person to take his measurement. That is what they are doing,” Mr Asiedu Nketia explained at the press conference.

At the press conference, opposition parties announced a series of demonstrations to be embarked upon against the Electoral Commission ( EC) over the plans to compile a new voters’ register.

The EC has however had its budget approved by Parliament so that it can compile a new voters’ register and therefore maintained that the current voters’ register is overstretched even though credible.