New Voter Register: Allow EC to work- Joe Wise to NDC

First deputy speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti region Hon. Joseph Osei-Wusu has called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other Civil Society Organization (CSO) to allow state institutions perform their constitutional mandate enshrined in the 1992 constitution.

He said they should allow the Electoral Commission to fulfill their constitutional mandate by compiling a new voter’s register for 2020 general elections.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on Otec FM’s afternoon political talk show dubbed ‘DWABEREM’ on Wednesday April 29, 2020, Hon. Osei-Wusu urged those with issues against the commission   to use the law courts in settling any disagreements instead of street protests.

NDC and court injunction

The main opposition NDC is asking  Criminal Investigative Department of the Ghana Police Service to fast-track investigations into the EC’s “lawlessness” after it allegedly went ahead to defy a court injunction over a supposed workshop for the controversial new voters register.

The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George has vowed to exhaust all options to bring the Electoral Commission (EC) down in their legal battle.

Sam George, who’s litigating against the Election Management Body(EMB) is considering filing contempt charges against the Electoral Commission (EC) for holding such workshop in his constituency despite the court injunction.

On April 24, the MP secured an injunction, restraining the Electoral Commission from holding the workshop in his constituency because of global coronsavirus pandamic. The ex-parte injunction, granted by the Tema High Court, took effect from Friday, April, 24 to Monday, April 27, 2020.

But the EC allegedly defied the court order not to hold the said workshop for directors and deputy directors, and culminated in a protest by supporters of the NDC at the City Escape Hotel who’d besieged the venue.

The workshop for Directors and Deputy Directors held at the Escape Hotel in Prampram formed part of the Commission’s preparation towards the compilation of a new voters’ register.

Ghana’s coronavirus cases

Ghana is currently the sixth country in Africa with the most persons infected by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

This comes after the country’s total COVID-19 cases moved up from 1,550 to 1,671, as of yesterday, April 28, 2020.

At a press briefing, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Aboagye, said 188 persons have successfully recovered.

Hon Joe Wise’s reactions

But the Bekwai legislator, Hon. Osei-Wusu said that the EC has the sole power to compile new register and therefore call on Ghanaians to go out in their numbers to engage in the registration when the time is due.

‘’Allow the Electoral Commission (EC) put together a new voter register which is more credible, transparent and trustworthy for the 2020 general elections’’, Hon. Osei-Wusu told Prince Nii Ade (Dr. Cash), the programme’s host .

”If the pandemic slows down, the Electoral Commission (EC) should be able to devise a means of conducting this exercise to ensure Ghana has a credible 2020 general elections “,  he added.

First deputy speaker of Parliament believes that the quality of the voters’ register played a critical role in the electoral process and an obsolete and incomplete register could not be relied on for an electoral process.

Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com