The General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has hinted that the new voters’ register is a necessity and will start at the end of May ahead of the 2020 presidential and parliamentary polls.
According to him, the new register is the only way to ensure Ghana has credible, free, and fair elections.
The Electoral Commission (EC) postponed the upcoming voters’ registration until further notice and this is as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EC said it would review the decision at the end of April or early May this year.
It had originally fixed April 18, 2020, for the commencement of the compilation of a new voters register.
READ MORE: Supreme Court to deliver its verdict on Ghana-US military agreement on May 5
The Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe said the decision would be reviewed in collaboration with health experts from the Ministry of Health, adding that it is only waiting for the green light from health officials and experts to begin the compilation.
“Are we thinking of not having election 2020, anybody in the Electoral Commission, knowing the resources that we have, knowing the situation of the registers, will go for a new credible register… We are waiting for the lockdown and coronavirus to subside,” he said.
However, John Boadu believes that if the pandemic is down, the EC should be able to devise a means of conducting this exercise by the end of May.
“There is no way we won’t have a new Voters’ Register, by end of May if the burden comes down then the EC can devise ways of ensuring they do what they are mandated to do in a way that will not put the lives of people at risk,” he added.
The EC since last year has justified why they need to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 general elections.
