Lawyer and the Member of Parliament for Akatsi South constituency, Hon Bernard Ahiafor before the passage of C.I 126 into law by a majority decision, argued that the C.I 126 which gives a legal backing to the EC to compile a new voter’s register should have been annulled.
The new C.I 126, which also excludes or prohibits the use of a driver’s license as well as the existing voter identification card as evidence of identity in the registration of a voter as contained in the existing Constitutional Instrument C.I 91 only permits the use of Ghana Card and passport for registration as a voter.
But the lawmaker in his presentation before Parliament on Tuesday 9th June, 2020 indicated that the Supreme Court of Ghana clearly spelt out that you cannot prevent anyone from using the existing voter ID card which is the EC’s own document or the Driver’s license for registering to vote.
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He rubbished the EC’s argument that the exclusion of the existing Voter ID card as a proof of citizenship has to do with the fact that some people registered with NHIS card by reminding the house that the EC was ordered by the Supreme Court to expunge names of such persons of which the EC did when opportunity was also given to the affected persons to re-register. He therefore concluded that it will be erroneous for anyone to allege that the current register we have today still have names of people who used NHIS to register.
Whilst accepting that there is separation of powers, he also alluded that all arms of government ought to respect each other.
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To support his argument, he cited that the Supreme Court in the Abu Ramadan case did not accept the Plaintiff’s request to exclude the existing voter ID card and Driver’s license as a source of document for the new registration. And called on the house to annul the C.I 126 in respect of the dignity and decision of the Supreme court in relation to the Abu Ramadan case.
