NPP proposes use of basic school registers to check underage registration

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is proposing the use of basic school registers to check underage registration and voting in next year’s general elections.

The party has for the past months been advocating a review of the country’s electoral roll after its vice presidential candidate made claims that Ghana’s voters' register had about 70,000 foreign names on it.

Former Chairman of the party and leading advocate for a review of the voters' register, Peter Mac Manu in an interview with Joy News’ Kwakye Afreh Nuamah said the party expects the Electoral Commission to take a serious view of the proposal.

According to Mr Manu some District Chief Executives used this strategy to prevent minors from voting during the 2012 elections and nothing should prevent the EC from doing same.

“I am saying the Electoral Commission should liaise with the Ministry of Education for this to be a national project, such that every registration centre throughout the length and breadth of this country will have a copy of the schools record or admission register which will show clearly the date of birth of prospective students and registrants”, he said.

To solve the issue of bloated register in the long term, Mr Manu believes that the National Identification Authority should be empowered and resourced to do the national identification card.

The EC has said it will not allow itself to be pressured into creating a new voters register.

But the former chairman says the EC must bow to “national interest” because almost all the political parties believe that the voters' register is bloated, tainted and corrupted.

Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Lawson however believes that the use of school registers is nothing new.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]