General Secretary of the People’s National Convention(PNC), Janet Nabla has said that using the Ghana card will make our national register more credible and transparent than it is today and has the potential of removing minors from the electoral register as well as preventing foreigners to decide for us during elections.
Speaking with Samuel Eshun on Happy Morning Show, she said using the Ghana card for voting will help us to identify the minors and the foreigners because there will be a commissioner of oaths who is going to explain to the people who are coming to vote about the consequence of voting when they are under age.
“With the Ghana card, there is going to be a commissioner of oath at the voting center who is going to monitor you when you come there, they have a document where they will allow you to sign after signing, and they will explain to you that, this document that you have signed if we find out that you are not eligible to vote but you have voted the law will hold you accountable and after explaining to this minors, they become scared and refuse to vote”.
According to her, she has observed politicians bringing minors and foreigners to the electoral center to register for voters’ ID.
“I don’t need the electoral commission to tell me the numbers of minors and foreigners in our electoral register. It is an eye saw whenever they say people between the ages of 18 and above should go and register for voters’ ID, you will see a lot of we politician bringing people under age and foreigners to come and vote”.
Janet advised Ghanaians to go for their Ghana card at the NIA office and those that have not registered should do the needful for their benefits.
Last month, the EC placed before Parliament a draft CI titled, Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021, which is expected to regulate continuous voter registration.
Per the new C.I, which would become law after 21 sitting days of Parliament, the EC is seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole form of identification for eligible voters who want to get unto the electoral roll.
The C.I has been referred to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament. By convention, the committee is chaired by a member of the Minority group.
By Maafia Adobea Boadi.