Voter's register saga: EC not credible; bring independent auditor – Addison suggests

Lead Counsel for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 election petition case wants the Supreme Court to appoint an independent investigator to verify the list presented by the Electoral Commission (EC) as the number of people who registered to vote with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card.

Philip Addison is basing his proposal to the Supreme Court on what he says is EC’s continuous demonstration of lack of credibility since 2014 when the Court tasked it to delete names of NHIS card registrants from the electoral roll.

“The only way that we can be verified and be satisfied is for an independent investigator to be appointed to check the register. After all during the [2012] election petition such an independent investigator was appointed to go into the vote of the Supreme Court, and if that can be done, why not the EC?” Mr Addison told Joy News’ Favour Nunoo.

The EC on Thursday presented a little over 56,000 names for deletion from the voters' register after the Court ruled that the NHIS card which they used as proof of citizenship was unconstitutional.

Youth Organizer of the People's National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako, brought a suit in 2014 against the Commission for registering voters with NHIS card and won.

On May 5, 2016 the Supreme Court asked the Electoral Commission to remove from the current voters’ register names of all persons who registered and voted in the 2012 elections, with the NHIS card as a proof of identity.

Mr Ramadan and Mr Nimako, among other reliefs, wanted the current register declared inappropriate for the November 2016 polls.

But the EC after studying the ruling said its understanding does 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.

On Thursday when the EC presented 56,739 names, lawyers for Abu Ramadan who brought the case condemned the EC for submitting a list they describe as fictitious and conjured.

They made the accusations after going through the list submitted for one hour.

One of the lawyers for the plaintiff, Mr Frank Davies, observed after going through the list that, there are no NHIS numbers from 18-55 names of the voters list presented for Afigya Kwabre constituency.

Also in Asokwa in the Asante Akim Central constituency in the Ashanti Region, Mr Davies said he found it strange that only one person is supposed to have registered using the NHIS card. He claimed that they know persons who registered with the NHIS card in Asokwa.

“If you say a majority, if you say millions and you come to court and you give us less than a 100,000, you have not done justice to the [issue]," Abu Ramadan told Joy News on Thursday.

Speaking on the matter to Joy News recently, Mr Addison said the EC cannot be trusted the list they have presented.

“Whatever means they used to determine [56,000 NHIS card registrants] they should provide it for the independent investigator. If [the investigator] confirms that it is 56,000 we will all go to sleep. But we cannot accept what the EC brings out. They have never been truthful, unfortunately. They have no credibility, absolutely none,” Mr Addison, who is also the aspiring NPP Klottey Korle constituency Member of Parliament, said.

He said the EC’s previous pronouncements on the number of NHIS card registrants make the list they have presented more difficult to believe.

During the 2012 election petition, the Supreme Court appointed audit firm, KPMG to audit pink sheet exhibits provided to the court by NPP petitioners.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]