The govt is using the EC as an elastic tool; keep an eye on them – Mahama charges Minority Members

John Dramani Mahama, a former president, has urged members of the minority group in parliament to closely monitor the actions of the executive branch of government.

Speaking at the Volta Serene hotel in Ho during the retreat for MPs from the Minority Group, Mahama said that because this administration has a history of using institutions to further its own partisan and personal interests, it must be monitored closely.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and President Akufo-Addo have thus used these institutions as obedient tools to further their political goals, he continued.

One of these organizations, according to him, is the Electoral Commission, which “takes pleasure in making it difficult for our citizens to participate in elections, instead of making it easy for them to do so.”

By insisting on using the Ghana Card as the only form of identification for a voter card, they seem determined to keep some segments of our population from exercising their right to vote. Knowing that not everyone who qualifies for a Ghana Card is able to obtain one, how do you go about doing this?

“You [Minority MPs] have emerged as the immediate hope of a populace that suffers from careless leadership and abuse of power. Therefore, you must fulfill this expectation by giving your work more vigor and keeping a closer eye on the Executive’s activities.

He acknowledged that the Ghana Card is a relatively recent addition to the nation and that it has some advantages overall.

He claims that it is increasingly being used as a political tool around which various schemes are being developed in advance of the elections.

He believes that it is necessary to allow enough time for its full integration “before implementing this kind of unhelpful exclusion of all other legitimately acquired, credible, and time-tested forms of identification.”

The “haste on the part of the Electoral Commission to exclude all other means of identification,” according to Mr. John Mahama, raises suspicions of fraud.

The Electoral Commission has made it clear that it is only requiring the Ghana card for continuous registration and is not working to create a new one, but Mr. Mahama is not persuaded.

In order to prevent fraud and exploitation that would unfairly benefit one party over another, he is calling for a system that gives all political parties and relevant stakeholders the ability to monitor the same in real-time.

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