New voter roll: Register and vote out Akufo-Addo – Mahama to Ghanaians

Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghanaians to acquire the new voter identification card and use it to vote out the Akufo-Addo government.

His call follows a ruling by the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday, which gave the green light to the Electoral Commission (EC) to commence a new voter registration exercise.

The SC upheld the EC’s position to exclude the use of the old voter identification cards and birth certificates as forms of identification as a citizen of Ghana.

Only passports and National Identification Cards are permitted as documents for the identification. In the absence of such documents, two people can vouch for eligible people.

The NDC had challenged the EC on that but lost in a unanimous decision in court paving the way for the exercise to begin on June 30.

Addressing the media, Mr Mahama said some necessary sacrifices were needed to make headway.

Mr Mahama said the ruling would disenfranchise millions and expressed “strong disappointment” against the judgement while insisting that the NDC “disagrees” with the apex court.

However, he entreated “all Ghanaians of voting age to channel the disappointment at the effort to exclude them from the electoral process into an opportunity to have their voices heard and turn up to register in their teeming numbers when the process begins”.

He was concerned that the process of registration could be slow due to challenges.

Endure

However, he urged the electorate “to endure in so far as it will enable you to vote out this government that has masterminded this frustration in the first place”.

“To the few who have passports and Ghana Cards, please make use of them and register. And to those who get the opportunity to register, assist your brothers, sisters and compatriots by guaranteeing for them, even if it takes more of your time,” he urged.

He said Ghanaians must hold leaders accountable for decisions that make their lives difficult and the development presents a situation to show Mr Akufo-Addo the exit.

Mr Mahama asked eligible people to stay safe by adhering to all anti-coronavirus protocols during the exercise as the coronavirus cases climb each day.

Call for divine protection against infections during the process to ensure smooth elections that will bring victory to the NDC.