SC ruling on clean register raises problems for anyone who reads it – George Loh

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dayi constituency, George Loh says the Supreme Court (SC)’s ruling ordering the Electoral Commission (EC) to take steps to clean the voter’s register is lacks clarity.

According to him, anyone who reads the ruling is opened to several interpretation which should not have happened in the first place.

This, the Vice-Chairman of the Constitution, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, believed has affected the EC's own interpretation and compliance with the ruling.

In its landmark ruling on May 5, the Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood ordered the EC to take immediate steps to clean the current voters’ register.

This follows a suit brought against the Commission by a former National Youth Organizer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and one Evans Nimako. They prayed the court to declare the current register inaccurate for the November 2016 polls

Among other things, the court asked the Commission to rid the register of persons who registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards as well as deleting names of persons who are dead.

This ruling by the SC has generated so much confusion as people are interpreting it differently.

On Thursday, May 19, the EC at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) told political party representatives that the SC did not order it to delete names of NHIS registrants.

This prompted a reaction from Abu Ramadan who threatened to sue all seven Electoral Commissioners for contempt of court.

However, speaking on Joy FM/MultiTV’s news analysis programme, Newsfile, Mr. Loh said, "It is the definite orders that have been given at the end of the ruling that creates the problem.”

He said the Commission has already shown the determination to clean the register adding the SC’s ruling re-affirms the EC’s work.

On his part, Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako said by refusing to comply with the SC’s ruling, the EC is the sowing seed for another suit.

He explained that the SC’s ruling called for the register to be made “reasonably accurate and credible” adding failure to do so contravenes the ruling.

Story by Ghana | Austin Brako-Powers |[email protected]