‘Why send a brand new car for repairs?’ – Asiedu Nketiah can’t understand justification for new register

General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has described moves to create a new voter roll, “stupid”.

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana requested and parliament approved about GH¢444million for the compilation of a new voters’ register for the 2020 polls.

Even though the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has not opposed the move, the NDC, some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other minor political parties have kicked against a new voter roll.

The current register was compiled in 2012 and was used for the last two general and parliamentary polls in Ghana. The same register was also used for the referendum to create new regions as well as the local government polls to elect heads of the various assemblies and unit committee members.

At a forum to discuss the move by the EC on Monday, Mr Nketiah also known as General Mosquito queried: “We don’t support stupid proposals because, you see, if you buy a brand new vehicle and you go and park it at a fitting shop that they should repair that new vehicle, what impression are you creating for yourselves?”.

In his opinion “it does not lie in the mouth of the EC to talk about bloating at all because I remember when this debate about bloating started in 2012, Electoral Commission’s position has been very consistent and it has been that ‘the register is not bloated’”.

He said: “NPP was insisting that the register was bloated and the Electoral Commission has been insisting that the voters’ register is credible. From Afari Gyan to Charlotte Osei to Jean Mensah, they have all maintained that the register is credible so how come they are now talking about boating of register?”.

He suggested that the current EC administration cannot justify the proposals by suggesting that they were not in charge of the last general polls and insisted: “What we know as Ghanaians is that it is the same Commission”.

“They cannot be shifting the goal post” and “shopping for reasons for a new register,” he added.