NDC chose to 'insult' and boycott IPAC meeting on new register - John Boadu fumes

The ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) General Secretary, John Boadu has rubbished the press conference organized by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) about the exclusion of birth certificate and the current voter’s ID as a requirement needed for the new voter registration.

The NPP Chief Scribe described the opposition NDC as being hypocritical, crying over spilt milk when they deliberately refused the invitation of the Electoral Commission to join an IPAC meeting to discuss the issues they have now raised in their press conference after two months.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, John Boadu narrated that the Electoral Commission (EC) in the said IPAC meeting set two agenda to discuss the registration of voters and any other business.

Recollecting the structures put in place by the EC to adhere to the social distancing protocols in order to have a fruitful IPAC meeting, John Boadu said the political parties were divided into two barges to have a morning and afternoon sessions.

“Those political parties scheduled for the morning session were; NPP, NDC, PPP, CPP, LPG, PNC, GCPP and GUM. Little did we know that when the NDC took the invitation, they had written back to EC that they would not attend the meeting and yet when we met, NDC’s Deputy General Secretary, Otokunor was there. When we were about to start the business of the day after the opening prayer and introduction, Otokunor raised his hand and insulted all of us and left the meeting,” he narrated the ordeal.

“Peter Boamah Otokunor insulted all of us as if to say we are all not sensible agreeing to attend the IPAC meeting. The EC Chair asked him to withdraw what he said but he refused and walked out," he indicated.

He, however, mentioned that per the discussion at the IPAC meeting, the EC saw the need to make some changes in the Constitutional Instrument (CI) they had laid before Parliament for amendment; thus, they withdrew the CI from Parliament and made some changes to meet the demand of all the political parties that were present at the IPAC meeting.

The NPP General Secretary reminded the opposition that their idea of including birth certificate as an evidence of identification of a registrant is non-starter as it has been taken out since 1995; indicating that the CI 91 does not have birth certificate as a required material for registration.

He stressed that the CI 91 (13) which is before Parliament seeks to use passport, NIA Card and guarantors as the only mode of identification for the new voter’s registration, doing away with Driver's License and the current Voter’s Identification Card.