Obiri Boahen tackles opposition parties over new voters' register

Nana Obiri Boahen, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Deputy General Secretary, says the various public protestations would not change the decision of the Electoral Commission (EC) in acquiring a new voters' register for the country.

“You can stage the demonstrations but that cannot change the decision of the EC in securing a voters' register.”

Speaking to the Ghana New Agency in an interview, the NPP deputy General Secretary said, Article 45 Clause (1a) clothes the Commission with the mandate to change the Voters Register whenever it felt so.

He said challenging the EC in court could only be the way out, adding that the EC does not need the consent of the any party to acquire a new register.

“Legally, all the noise about the new Register is ‘Much ado about nothing’”, he said.

Nana Obiri Boahen, who cited various reasons for a new Voter Register, said the creation of the new regions was one of the factors.

He said for example, there is no region known as Brong Ahafo and Northern Regions stressing that all those regions have now been divided.

He said it was therefore automatic that serial numbers of those in the two regions should get new Voter Identification numbers in order for them to vote in the 2020 general elections.

Nana Obiri Boahen said the issues surrounding the change of the Voters Register was not about any political party adding that the Supreme Court after hearing the election petition in 2012 saw that there “something wrong” with the Voters Register.

More so, he said, Parliament has approved the budget for the New Voters Register.

The announcement by the EC to procure a new Register has attracted a lot of views from various groups including political parties and civil service organizations.

The EC has, however, set the middle of May to compile a new Voter register for the presidential and parliamentary elections for 2020.

According to the Commission it wanted to change the register to pave way for a smooth election devoid of issues.

Meanwhile, 13 political parties including the NPP, Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) have thrown their weight behind the EC to compile a new Register.

However, the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has objected to the compilation of the new Voters Register.