News:
February 2, 2016
Ghana risks opening the floodgate for foreign nationals to flood its voters register if it goes ahead to implement a new requirement needed for voter registration, Deputy Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Asuogyam, Kofi Osei-Ameyaw has warned.
The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has proposed accepting a Ghanaian Passport, a National Identification Card and a Driver’s License for its upcoming limited voter’s registration exercise scheduled for March, 2016.
In the absence of these requirements, an eligible Ghanaian voter would have to be certified by a native of the country whose name is already in the voter’s register.
That aside, two Ghanaians would further have to thumb print a Form One as witnesses to indicate that person is a Ghanaian.
Each voter has the chance of certifying five persons in such a manner.
A Birth Certificate and National Health Insurance Card which were previously part of the requirements have been omitted from the new requirement because they do not identify the person as a Ghanaians.
But Osei-Ameyaw who is also the MP for Asuogyamang in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.3 FM, Tuesday, said such a measure has the tendency of causing further bloating the voter’s register.
“If that person brings in somebody outside the country to come and register, it is deemed that that person is a Ghanaian citizen because we issued that person with an identification card that he has a right as a citizen to elect our President, our Parliamentarians and local authority. But with this measure, if we are not careful, we are going to open the floodgate for foreigners to flood our already bloated voter’s register.”
“This will allow people to engage in bringing citizens from other countries through the back door”, he said.
Mr. Osei-Ameyaw posited that since the proposal has not been approved by Parliament, it was important to review it to prevent any possible disorder that the suggestion from the EC may bring out and to further save the little resources at the disposal of the country.