The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced its intention to publicly disclose the identities of guarantors who violated the regulations during the recent limited voter registration exercise.
The commission firmly condemns these violations and is committed to taking action against those responsible.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, October 17, Deputy Commissioner Samuel Tetteh emphasized the EC’s determination to register all eligible voters while holding a zero-tolerance stance towards any illegal activities.
During the limited registration period, which occurred in September and concluded on Monday, October 2, across all 268 district offices of the commission, a total of 910,996 voters were registered.
The Ashanti Region had the highest number of registrants, accounting for approximately 16% of the total, while the Savannah Region had the lowest, representing only 2%.
Mr. Tetteh urged the government to provide funding to the National Identification Authority (NIA) to facilitate the issuance of the Ghana Card to all citizens.
Additionally, he called upon Parliament to approve the Constitutional Instrument (CI) that would designate the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voter registration.
He said “On the guarantor system the commission is of the view that under our current circumstances, the guarantor system has outlived its usefulness and cannot be maintained. The best proof of a person’s citizenship in Ghana is the Ghana Card.
“The use of the guarantor system is fraught with blatant abuse as witnessed in the just-ended voter registration exercise. Most countries in the subregion like Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Rwanda and Kenya do not use the guarantor system as evidence of identification. If, indeed, we are committed to strengthening our electoral processes then the guarantor system must be abolished sooner than later.
“We call on the government to fund NIA, additionally, we entreat parliament to pass the CI on the registration of voters. The Commission appalls the encouragement of minors to register, this is a crime, it does not augur well for us as a nation and we urge all citizens, and stakeholders to join the commission to solve this problem.”
He added “The sad part is that these minors were bussed to registration centers by citizens who should know better, this is unpardonable and we once again call on the government to resource NIA to produce the cards and parliament to approve the CI to enable us to use the Ghana Card as sole means to identify a person’s citizenship.”
Mr. Tetteh emphasized, “We call on the government to fund the NIA, and we implore Parliament to pass the CI on voter registration. The Commission strongly disapproves of the registration of minors, which is a crime and detrimental to our nation. We urge all citizens and stakeholders to collaborate with the commission to address this issue.”
He further added, “What is disheartening is that these minors were transported to registration centers by individuals who should have known better. This is inexcusable, and we once again call on the government to support the NIA in card production, and Parliament to approve the CI, allowing us to use the Ghana Card as the sole means of verifying citizenship.”
The EC has informed the public that guarantors who violated the law by vouching for more than 10 applicants will face consequences. Their names will be published in national newspapers, and they will be prosecuted.
While the commission is committed to registering all eligible applicants, it will not overlook individuals who violate its rules.