Too early to crucify EC on voters register — Obiri Boahen
A Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has said it is too early for the Electoral Commission (EC) to be bastardised over the compilation of a new voters register.
Expressing concern about the way some political players pounded the EC during the exhibition of the provisional voters register, he said: “It is too early to send the Electoral Commission to the slaughterhouse because a process like this is bound to encounter challenges, so let’s support them to correct the wrongs so that we get a worthy final product.”
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In an interview in Accra he said it was unfortunate that at the time the EC had not even completed the exhibition of the provisional voters register, some persons were scoring them 10 per cent and zero per cent for the work done.
Nana Obiri Boahen, who is a private legal practitioner based in Sunyani, appealed to political actors to exercise restraint for the Commission to complete its work so that it could make commentary on the process.
Legal confines
Delving into legalities, Nana Obiri Boahen said once the commission was operating within the legal and constitutional confines of Articles 45 and 46 of the 1992 Constitution and there was no proof of arbitrariness, there was the need for tolerance to prevail so that the EC could come out with a product that would stand the test of time.
Citing some Supreme Court rulings including Abu Ramadan 1 and 2, Nana Obiri Boahen said it would be meaningless for anyone to attempt any legal challenge to what the Commission was doing.
“I’m not holding brief for the EC neither am I the legal advisor of the EC, but I’m taking into consideration the decision of the Supreme Court in such matters. It will not serve any purpose going to court,” he said.
Proactive
Turning his attention on the EC itself, the NPP deputy chief scribe said although the commission was doing well, there was still room for improvement.
“The EC must be proactive in communicating its key operations to Ghanaians.
“They are doing well but, they should up their game in order to win the trust of Ghanaians,” he said. -
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