The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, former President John Dramani Mahama, has declared that the opposition NDC will not accept the proposal to move the election date upward to the 7th of November from the 7th of December 2024.
Mr. John Dramani Mahama revealed this following the Electoral Commission’s proposal to change the election date in his opening address at a minority caucus meeting on Saturday, 10th February 2024 in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region and one of the NDC’s balloting strongholds.
The former President and NDC flagbearer opined that the change of election date as proposed by the Electoral Commission does not seem to be in the interest of Ghanaians – referring to the Electoral Commission’s supposed inability to conduct its duties as an autonomous body.
Accordingly, Mr. John Dramani Mahama accused his party’s major opponent in the approaching elections, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of meddling in the affairs of the Electoral Commission. He claimed that the proposal to change the date of the election is a plot by the incumbent government to undermine NDC’s obvious victory at the polls in December citing that the Electoral Commission is inadequately prepared to conduct an election in November instead of in December.
Moreover, the Fmr. President asserted that the poor governance of the incumbent NPP administration has ensured the NDC’s victory in the impending elections. He further argued that the technical deficits in the recently conducted District Assembly elections in December 2023, is due to the unpreparedness of the Electoral Commission to manage an election.
More so, the NDC flagbearer alleged that the Electoral Commission has done poorly in combining the voter register in the just-ended update of Ghana’s electoral register in 2023. He asserted that the registration process must as a matter of necessity include a system that grants a monitoring capacity to all stakeholders in elections. He noted that political parties and members of the general public must be allowed to monitor the registration process.
Furthermore, Mr. Dramani Mahama argued that proper monitoring will ensure the absence of fraud and other exploitive means that will be of advantage to the incumbent government. He also applauded the NDC Members of Parliament on their efforts in checking the extremes of the government in parliament. He also indicated that Ghanaians made checks and balances in parliament possible by creating a hung parliament during the 2020 General Elections.
Ghana Card and Voter Registration
Additionally, the Fmr. President cautioned the Electoral Commission not to obsess with the use of the Ghana Card as the only means of identification during the 2024 elections. He argued that the Electoral Commission has disenfranchised many Ghanaians with its insistence to use the Ghana Card as its major means of identification in its update of the voter register. He stated that the Electoral Commission is misguided in its decision and the NDC will continue to show resistance to any action of the commission that does not benefit Ghanaians.
Consequently, the NDC flagbearer accused the incumbent government of using the Ghana Card as a political weapon aimed at disenfranchising principally NDC voters. He opined that the Ghana Card should be fully integrated into all aspects of the life of Ghanaians and tested over some time before it is ever considered a sole means of compiling or updating the Voter Register.
Conclusively the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has for some time now given the Electoral Commission a run for its money concerning major decisions about voter register update and possible disenfranchisement of Ghanaians during the voter register compilation. The Electoral Commission however continues to persist in its decision as it awaits the passing of its proposed electoral policies into existing laws.
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