The Electoral Commission has been directed by Ghana’s Supreme Court on Tuesday to without delay remove the names of the 56,000 people who registered with NHIA cards as proof of Ghanaian citizenship, ahead of the 2012 elections.
The court had earlier directed on May 5 2016, that the Commission avail its platform for affected persons (whose names get deleted) to be re-registered following laid down and accepted procedure.
Not convinced of the soundness of NHIA card as authentic proof of identification, People’s National Congress’ (PNC) Abu Ramadan went back to the Supreme Court to seek an interpretation of the court’s earlier ruling on the validity of the current register. The Electoral Commission last Thursday presented the list of NHIS registrants to the court however Mr. Abu Ramadan, filed an application on Monday rejecting the list, describing it as “spurious” making the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood to dare him to produce any contrary list to prove that the EC’s list is not credible.
The apex court on May 5 2016, asked the Electoral Commission to expunge from the current voters’ register the names of all persons who registered and voted in the 2012 elections, with the NHIS card as a proof of identity. The ruling followed a suit filed by Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako.
The two, among other reliefs, wanted the current register declared inappropriate for the November polls but the EC after perusing the ruling submitted there are already laid down procedures for expunging ineligible names.
The EC’s explanation did not go down well with Mr. Ramadan who subsequently got the Supreme Court to issue a six-day ultimatum to the Commission of which the Commission obliged and presented the list of 56,000.
