Founder and Leader of the All People’s Party(APC), Hassan Ayariga says calls by Ghanaians to abort the compilation of the new voters’ register for the December 7 elections has fallen on deaf ears of the Jean-Mensa led Electoral Commission of Ghana.
According to Mr Ayariga, if the Electoral Commission is forcing to compile a new voters’ register then he believes the current commission is an autocratic electoral body rather than a democratic one.
His comment comes after the electoral management body set April 18, 2020, as the date for the compilation of the new voters’ register for the 2020 general elections despite calls by opposing political parties and civil society groups to abort plans for a new biometric voters’register
In an interview with Asempa FM today January 23, 2020, Mr Ayariga stated that the Electoral Commission of Ghana has refused to listen to the cry of its citizenry
”Is the EC going to force the political parties if they are not agreeing to the compilation of the voters’ register? Is the EC telling Ghanaians whether they like it or not they will impose it on us? They are not listening to the cry of the Ghanaian people, they don’t care whether the people want a register or not. They should tell me one institution that agrees to the compilation of the voters’ register. If they are forcing the voters’ register then I believe this is autocracy not democracy.”
”The EC’s reasons are not convincing enough to compile a new voters’ register. We have our stance and we say that with the facts the EC has stated so far, these facts and arguments cannot convince a fly or an ordinary IT man to believe what they are saying”,he added.
READ ALSO: Eminent Advisory C’ttee to meet political parties on Jan. 30
He further stated that whether the EC goes ahead with the compilation of a voters register or not, opposition political parties will also plan and continue with their activities
”We have also petitioned the Asantehene over the matter and we are going to listen to the EC on the 30th. As we wait, we will also continue with our activities. Whether the EC continues with the project of compiling new voters register against the will of the people and political parties we will also go ahead, plan our activities against the compilation of a voters’ register which subsequently will land us in a situation the EC will not like”.
The EC has also said that the registration exercise is expected to be completed by the end of May and an exhibition exercise will follow from August 15-28 2020.
Again the EC plans to deploy 8,00 biometric devices for the exercise to be rolled out at 32 polling stations nationwide.
READ ALSO:Demo against new voters’ register suspended, parties give EC 1 week ultimatum to rescind decision
Meanwhile, the Eminent Advisory Committee of the Electoral Commission (EC) will on January 30 2020 meet members of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) over the compilation of a new voters’ register.
