Politics of Saturday, 18 February 2023
Source: classfmonline.com
The main opposition National Democratic Congress is challenging the National Identification Authority (NIA) to publish the number of eligible voters on its database.
According to the NDC, this will enable the party to know the total number of people eligible to vote in the December 7, 2024 general elections.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has insisted that its decision to make the Ghanacard the sole document for the registration of voters for the 2024 elections remains unchanged.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) says it had so far captured about 17 million Ghanaians into its system after the officials of the EC had met them and said a backlog of 400,000 Ghanaians was yet to receive their cards after registration.
The NDC is of the view that as it stands the NIA’s claims that it has issued 17 million cards hence the Ghana card should be made the sole document for the acquisition of a voter’s Identity card is untenable.
The former deputy Communications Officer for the Ashanti Regional NDC office, Kweku Asafu Adjei, threw this challenge to the NIA to publish the data of eligible voters in an interview on the Ghana Yensom morning show hosted by Odehyeeba Kofi Essuman on Accra 100.5 FM on Friday, February 17, 2023.
He stressed that foreigners, as well as minors aged 15 were allowed to register for Ghanacards so it is just fair for the NIA to tell Ghanaians the number of foreigners as well as minors.
He said the 17 million people who have had their cards issued to them are all not eligible voters as the NIA is making Ghanaians believe.
''It is just right that we know the eligible voters captured in the NIA’s system before the Ghanacard can be made a sole document for the acquisition of the voter's Identity card.
He was of the view that not many people have been captured by the NIA and that if the Ghanacard was made the sole document many will be disenfranchised.
He revealed that as of now the district offices of the NIA are not operational so people are not getting the opportunity to register for the Ghanacard.
He alleged something sinister on the part of the NIA and the EC.