Limited Registration Exercise: We’ll resist attempts to suppress votes – NDC to EC

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that they will resist any attempts by the Electoral Commission (EC) and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to suppress votes through the on-going Limited Voter Registration Exercise.

In a statement the National Chairman for NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah stated that the move by the EC to go ahead with the registration exercise despite the court actions is a bad precedent.

According to him, the NDC currently have their agents and officers in all 268 district offices of the EC and monitoring the exercise.

“We are keenly and actively monitoring the process and will ensure that the manipulations of the EC & the ruling NPP calculated to suppress votes and rig the process are defeated. NDC shall always stand and fight for the masses.

“We therefore wish to call on all NDC officials at all levels, members, sympathizers and Ghanaians as a whole to encourage and fund and assist all eligible persons or prospective registrants to defy the EC and participate in the ongoing registration exercise,” Mr. Nketiah stated.

Below is portion of the statement by the NDC

In an unusual twist – when our lawyers filed the injunction application last week Thursday – we were informed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court that the due date for the Application for Interlocutory Injunction to be moved will be given on Monday upon the expressed instructions of the Chief Justice of our dear Republic of Ghana.

The decision by the registry of the Supreme Court to defer giving a hearing date for the injunction application on grounds that the Chief Justice is currently out of Accra leaves much to be desired as the CJ should have delegated someone to act in her absence as the practice is.

The administration of justice in our apex court cannot come to a stand-still simply because the Chief Justice is indisposed or unavailable to give hearing dates. What happened to the e-Justice system the John Mahama led NDC administration toiled for? This deliberate delay should not happen in any civilized country. This is completely unacceptable!

This is yet again another clear evidence of judicial manipulation and we condemn it in no uncertain terms.

We are aware that the EC has also been served with two applications for injunction from Courts of Competent Jurisdiction, specifically the High Court. Yet, the lawless Jean Mensah-led EC has decided to flout these injunction applications by going ahead with the registration exercise in flagrant disregard of the letter and spirit of the rule of law.

We wish to emphasize that the EC’s decision to proceed with the limited voter registration exercise today despite being served with two injunction applications from the courts contradicts an important precedent set by they themselves during the 2023 NDC Presidential and Parliamentary primaries when they publicly announced the suspension of their supervision of our primaries on grounds of a suit and injunction application filed by Dr. Kwabena Duffour. What has changed? Why this inconsistency?

Ladies and gentlemen, notwithstanding these pending legal matters, the NDC is fully ready for the registration +exercise which was illegally commenced by the EC today. We are ready! Very ready. But we care for the poor registrants who must cater for the cost and constraints of being registered to vote.

We currently have our agents and officers in all 268 district offices of the EC.

We are keenly and actively monitoring the process and will ensure that the manipulations of the EC & the ruling NPP calculated to suppress votes and rig the process are defeated. NDC shall always stand and fight for the masses.

We therefore wish to call on all NDC officials at all levels, members, sympathizers and Ghanaians as a whole to encourage and fund and assist all eligible persons or prospective registrants to defy the EC and participate in the ongoing registration exercise.

Your vote is your power! Don’t allow the Jean Mensah led EC to rob you of it no matter what.

Relatedly, we have outlined some discrepancies in the registration process which commenced this morning.  And we wish to share a few with you in order to jolt the EC into action. We expect the EC to act swiftly in order to avert any further loss of confidence in the Commission.

Source: Today.com.gh