Lawyers for Abu Ramadan, former National Youth Organizer of the People's National Convention (PNC), have rejected the list of 56,000 persons presented to the Supreme Court by the Electoral Commission, as the full list of persons whose names were captured on the voters' register, with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card as proof of Ghanaian citizenship.
The lawyers, led by Frank Davies, described the figure as spurious, according to Citi News' Fred Djabanor. According to Mr. Davies, the list on the face of the document provided shows that it has been conjectured.
Arguing his case, he told the Supreme Court that the primary document which the Electoral Commission claimed to have derived the list from, did not have any portion for registrants to indicate which IDs they were using to register.
56,000 names as the full list of Ghanaians who were captured onto the voters' register, using the NHIS card as proof of Ghanaian citizenship ahead of the 2012 elections.
The figure was presented to the Supreme Court, which had ordered it to produce the list in six days.
This, the court said, will enable it bring finality to the case in which Abu Ramadan is pushing for the deletion of such names from the register.
Register has 4 million 'NHIS card voters' – LMVCA alleged
Pro-opposition pressure group Let My Vote Count Alliance had suggested that the EC could not meet the deadline of six-days to provide the list since in their view; there were nearly four million of such persons on the register.
The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers, CODEO , also suggested that such data was almost going to be difficult to collate, and questioned how the EC could meet the deadline.
Background
The apex court on May 5 2016 , asked the Electoral Commission to expunge from the current voters' register the names of all persons who registered and voted in the 2012 elections, with the NHIS card as a proof of identity.
The ruling followed a suit filed by Abu Ramadan, and one, Evans Nimako, who in 2014 won a lawsuit that barred the use of NHIS cards for registration of potential voters.
The two, among other reliefs, wanted the current register declared inappropriate for the November polls.
But the EC after studying the ruling said it's understanding did not suggest the use of any new process to delete the names of those who registered with NHIS cards, since there are already laid down procedures for expunging ineligible names.
The EC's explanation however angered Mr. Ramadan who felt the Commission was disrespecting the explicit orders of the court.
His position was further strengthened when one of the judges who gave the May 5 ruling, stated categorically that the ruling was clear and unambiguous and that the EC must remove the names of persons who registered with the NHIS card.
He subsequently got the Supreme Court to issue the six-day ultimatum to the Commission.
–
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AfanyiDadzie
We’ll no longer tolerate your empty, unwarranted attacks – TUC blasts Prof Adei
Bawumia donates GHc200,000 to support Madina fire victims
IMF to disburse US$360million third tranche to Ghana without creditors MoU
Truck owner share insights into train collision incident
Paramount chief of Bassare Traditional Area passes on
Two teachers in court over alleged illegal possession of BECE papers
Sunyani: Victim allegedly shot by traditional warriors appeals for justice
Mahama vows to scrap teacher licensure exams, review Free SHS policy
Government will replace burnt Madina shops with a new three-story, 120-store fac...
