The renowned journalist at Eyewitness news of Citi Fm Umaru Sanda Amadu in a statement said, the decision to fade out the birth certificate as an eligibility requirement for acquiring a voter’s ID card in the ongoing Electoral Commission’s voter’s registration exercise is really funny and unacceptable.
According to him, he obtained voter’s ID card using his passport he got from the birth certificate in the past. Meanwhile, he applied for the passport using the birth certificate as a Ghanaian.
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“It’s funny birth certificate isn’t allowed as proof for registration but its product – the passport is allowed. It’s like a Muslim who doesn’t drink alcohol but sells alcohol” He explained.
Umaru Sanda Amadu disclosed that, after he acquired his voter’s ID card, he has to determine the citizenship of his biological mother who gave birth to him. He added that, his mother who h as her first voter’s ID card way back in 1996 couldn’t get the opportunity to register for the new voter’s ID card at the same EC registration centre that issued the first card using her birth certificate and the existing ID card.
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“Meanwhile, I had to guarantee for my mum to register. She has voter cards dating as far back as 1996 in her cupboard. They were all obtained at this same registration centre but are now not acceptable for obtaining the new card. Bizarre, isn’t it?” He further explained.
The Supreme Court is a case filed before it by the National Democratic Congress (plaintiff) and the Electoral Commission of Ghana (Defendant) has ruled out the the existing voter’s ID card and the birth certificate as eligibility requirements for the compilation of the EC’s new voter’s registration exercise.
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The Supreme Court in its ruling noted that, the birth certificate does not determine the citizenship of Ghanaians and cannot be accepted as a document for the voter’s registration exercise. Meanwhile, the birth certificate was accepted as one of the requirements for one to acquire the Ghana Card and the passport which were approved by the Court as eligibility requirements for acquiring a voter’s ID card.
