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Voters' register suit: Supreme Court dismisses Abu Ramadan's tape-recording evidence

By Joy News| Raymond Acquah
General News Voters' register suit: Supreme Court dismisses Abu Ramadan's tape-recording evidence
MAY 3, 2016 LISTEN

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application for the submission of fresh evidence by two politicians seeking to challenge the credibility of Ghana's voters' register ahead of the 2016 general elections.

The dismissal of the application clears the way for the court to decide on the substantive case on Thursday May 5, 2016.

The two opposition politicians, a former youth leader of the People's National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and an NPP youth leader, Kwame Baffoe have been insisting that the voters' register in its current state is not fit to be used for the November election.

Since the Electoral Commission rejected a demand to compile a new voters register,the two politicians are arguing that it should at least conduct an exercise to clean up names deemed ineligible to be on the roll for the polls.

This validation process, they say would be deemed a compromise after months of pressure from opposition parties on the EC adamant to bow to pressure.

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[Right] Abu Ramadan
There are voters on the register who used an outlawed National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card to register, but the Electoral Commission (EC) has says it can identify the names of those registrants.

Counsel for the two, Nana Bedietuo Asante applied to introduce fresh evidence which suggested that the EC lied to the Apex court when it stated that it can identify such voters on the electoral roll.

The lawyer says they are in possession of a tape recording of Deputy EC chairpersons, Ahmadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaah admitting that it cannot determine who registered with the NHIS card and that it's database captured no such information.

But the Supreme Court at its sitting Tuesday unanimously dismissed the application saying it has no merit, therefore rejecting the application for the submission of the tape recording.

The seven-member panel has adjourned the case to May 5, to rule on the substantive issue.

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