NPP’s reaction
to NDC’s press conference
The NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu
Nketiah, today 19th August, 2015 held a press
conference in apparent response to the NPP’s
call for a new voters’ register for the 2016
elections.
The matter of a new voters’ register is
absolutely crucial for the success of the 2016
elections. So we do not wish to turn it into an
NPP and NDC battle. All parties general agree
that there are defects to the register and have
suggested ways of correcting these defects. The
NDC obviously believes that some auditing
process can correct these defects; the NPP
believes that it will serve the country’s
interest better if we have a new register due to
the nature of the defects.
According to the NDC’s General Secretary, our
simple suggestion, backed by compelling
evidence, amounts to ignorance, falsehoods,
incompetence, mediocrity, fraud, frivolous
concoctions, lies and fabrications. He even
accuses the NPP of preparing the grounds for our
imminent defeat in the 2016 elections.
How a political party and government whose
Ministers of State have urged Ghanaians to lie,
fabricate, and distort the truth, can describe
the NPP in this way is beyond belief.
A simple question that arises is whether when
the NDC went to court over the 2004 election
outcome, they were preparing the grounds for
their imminent defeat? Or when then running
mate, John Mahama said in 2008 that, “with the
current national population of 22million, having
almost 13million people on the register is
unheard of,” he was preparing the grounds for
their imminent defeat.
Now let’s set the records straight:
1) Proportion of Population in the Register
It is not true that Dr. Bawumia did not make
adjustment for population growth between
2010-2012. Unadjusted, the percentage of the
register to the population is 56.2. Dr. Bawumia
did the adjustment to 54%, to account for the
population growth. This is still way over the
50% mark.
2) Singling Out Volta Region
Aseidu Nketiah asserts that Dr. Bawumia singled
out Volta region constituencies for the alarming
increases in voter population between 2008-2012,
and that this was a sign of the NPP’s
“disrespect and disdain for certain tribes.”
This is FALSE.
Indeed, out of the thirteen (13) constituencies
Dr. Bawumia listed as having dramatic increases,
only three (3), i.e, Ketu South, Hohoe and
Nkwanta North are in the Volta Region.
3) NHIS cards
Aseidu Nketia accuses the NPP of calling for
retroactive application of the supreme court
ruling on the NHIS cards in other to
disenfranchise voters who registered with the
NHIS cards. This is also FALSE.
Indeed, the only people who may not be able to
re-register will be non-Ghanaians from
neighbouring countries who were issued NHIS
cards to register.
4) MINORS
Dr. Bawumia did not make any direct references
to minors. But indeed, in his recommendations
for reforms, he suggested modifications that
could prevent wanton registration of minors.
5) TOGO REGISTER
Aseidu Nketiah claims that the Togolese register
that Bawumia used to illustrate the thousands of
cross-border registrations is “fake”, and a
“deceptive manipulation of pictures with no
resemblances, no names, no ages nor gender.”
This is also FALSE.
The original documents of the Togolese register
submitted by the NPP to the Electoral Commission
has clear headings, names, ages and gender of
people. All Aseidu Nketia has to do, is to also
access the Togolese register and checkout the
cross-border registrations for himself.
The NPP has presented evidence for examination
by all parties as a basis for the call for a new
voters’ register. How such a call can be
described by Aseidu Nketia as motivated by
malice, just to raise political tensions and
mask the NPP’s disunity, is difficult to
understand.
Asiedu Nketia goes on further rantings and
ravings which are not worth the paper they are
written on.
The NPP is motivated by the same concerns for
the integrity of the Electoral process, that
motivated John Mahama to remark for example in
2008, that, a register over 50% of the
population is unheard of; that motivated Afari
Gyan to remark in 2008, that, a register in
excess of 50% of the population will be
statistically unacceptable by world standards.
The point will still hold that, the register for
the parliamentary elections and the presidential
elections had a difference of over almost five
hundred thousand (500,000) votes that we have
still not accounted for.
These are our humble motivations.
…Signed…
Nana Akomea
(Director of Communications)
For the full report:
THE CASE FOR A NEW VOTERS REGISTER
TOGOLESE NATIONALS ON GHANA'S VOTER REGISTER
LIST
