Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has stated that his sides’ decision to oppose and vote against the Constitutional Instrument (C.I.126) is to serve as a guide and for posterity.
He argued that the Minority was aware it did not have the numbers under Article 11 to annul the Instrument but took that position to defend the 1992 Constitution and the rights guaranteed under it.
No Ghanaian, he said, owe their citizenship to the Electoral Commission (EC), the National Identification Authority, President Akufo-Addo, or the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Haruna Iddrisu was speaking in an interview on Tuesday after Parliament, by a majority decision of 106-92 adopted report on the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (C.I. 126).
He admitted it was not a vote his side could win but were persuaded to stand by the Ghanaian public.
The C.I. matured on Tuesday 9th June 2020 and gave the Electoral Commission the mandate to compile a new voters’ register recognizing the Ghana Card and the passport as the only primary documents.
Haruna Iddrisu cautioned that the rights of the Ghanaian citizen remains unchanged and is guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution.
He said, “We cannot fathom, appreciate or understand the desperation of President Nana Addo Dankwa and the incompetence of the EC to want to compel Ghanaians to only two primary documents, the passport and a national identity card issued by the National Identification Authority.”
“These are interesting times for Ghana. Now somebody must vouch for you as a citizen,” he said.
He argued that contrary to claims by EC on the acceptability of the passport, Ghana’s Foreign ministers, both present and past have spoken publicly to the fact that there are Ghanaian passports in the hands of foreigners.
“Indeed, recently a Nigerian was convicted abroad for holding a Ghanaian passport,” he said.
The Minority, he said, will continue to defend Ghana’s democracy and that its stance on the CI is its contribution to the protection of Ghana’s nascent democracy and its electoral processes.
He added, “And let it be known that what has happened today violates the Integrity of any electoral process.”
He pledged that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and President John Mahama will within a hundred days after Mr. Mahama is declared President in 2020 make it natural for any Ghanaian who attains 18 years to walk freely to any office of the Commission to be registered as a citizen of Ghana.
This, he said, will be done using an acceptable electronic technology that will work into the future of electronic voting in Ghana.
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Frontpageghana.com/Ghana/Uthman A. Marani
