Politics

Your unrepentant attitude on decisions worrying – Elvis Ankrah to Jean Mensah

A former Director of Election, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has described the Electoral Commissioner of Ghana Jean Adukewi Mensah as biased as she instill on conducting the upcoming Limited Registration Exercise across the country at its District Offices.

According to him, if the Limited Registration Exercise is conducted at District Officer it has the potential of disenfranchising many qualified voters.

Mr. Ankrah addressing 3rd Annual Lawyers Conference of NDC Lawyers Association in Akosombo in the Eastern Region on Friday in Friday, he urged Ghanaians to call on the EC to rescind on such a decision of conducting the registration at its District Offices.

“On countless occasions we made what we considered to be valuable inputs. Sometimes supported by the other side. I can cite so many cases, for example the last registration exercise before the 2020 election. We are going into an election. Can we consider going back only for the EC to display such behavior to other minority parties. The very reasons we left them have been fed with the same medicine,” the former NDC Director of Elections stated.

He also stated that the NDC cannot be the problem but rather EC failing to take cogent suggestions from the NDC.

“The problem is not us. The problem is the attitude, stance and Posturing of the Electoral Commission. Why do we go to IPAC? We go to IPAC so that we can make inputs. It doesn’t mean that whatever we say should be taken hook, line and sinker. There is history of IPAC, suggestions are made, it is shaped, it is agreed and disagreed but we reach consensus this has been the tradition since 1993. What is it about this current EC that they will not take any input irrespective of how sanguine it is” Mr. Ankrah stated worried.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Persons With Disability DESK has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) lead by Jean Adukwei Mensah to consider them in the upcoming limited registration exercise to be conducted across the country.

According to them, the modalities by the Electoral Commission for the limited registration should not be used to disenfranchise persons with disability in any way.

“At the very core of the disgust of Persons with Disabilities for EC’s faulty arrangement is the apparent disregard of the attributes of the various types of disabilities and the long distances persons will have to travel to access these registration centres.

“Many Persons with Disabilities are already embattled with the acquisition of Ghana Cards and will have to find the means to transport two guarantors over long distances to these district offices. In the special case of the deaf, an interpreter is also required for meaningful communication to take place.

“The EC must remember that while it endeavours to advance Ghana’s democratic credentials through the constitutional mandate accorded it to handle all matters directly related to the conduct of elections in Ghana, a key indicator for its success is the full consideration and enfranchisement of Persons with Disabilities,” the NDC indicated in a statement.

Source: Today.com.gh