EC’s 56k NHIS list “fake, spurious” – Ramadan

Lawyers for Abu Ramadan, the plaintiff challenging the legality of NHIS card registrants on the voters’ register, have rejected the list presented by the Electoral Commission to the Supreme Court.

The Electoral Commission submitted a list of about 56,000 as people who registered with NHIS cards ahead of the 2012 general elections after an order by the apex court.

The figure which was earlier reported by Starrfmonline.com Wednesday was confirmed in court Thursday.

But lawyers for the plaintiff led by Frank Davies argue that the list of names submitted by the EC are "falsified, fake and spurious".

They argue that some of the names have registration numbers while others do not.

But according to Starr FM’s Court reporter Wilberforce Asare, the EC in a counter argument said that the list was compiled manually, and the omissions may have been a clear oversight.

The ‘Let My Vote Count Alliance’ a pro-opposition pressure group had earlier claimed that over 4 million people registered with NHIS cards and were praying the court for those names to be deleted.

The Supreme Court has since adjourned the case to Tuesday, July 5.

Background

The order by the Supreme Court for the EC to submit the list of NHIS card registrants follows the interpretation-confusion that ensued between the electoral commission and Abu Ramadan, the plaintiff who went to court to seek an interpretation of the legality or otherwise of such names in the electoral roll.

Ramadan, therefore, went to court to seek clarification on the initial judgment that asked the EC to take steps to remove names of NHIS registrants from the register.

Although there are concerns that the EC cannot provide all the names due to the short requirement notice, the election management body has given the assurance it will provide the full list to the court.