Voter registration not compulsory, you can boycott it – John Boadu to NDC

The General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Boadu, has dared the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to boycott the planned voter registration exercise yet to be conducted by the Electoral Commission if it is indeed against the compilation of a new register.

The NDC and five other opposition political parties have kicked against the new registration announced by the Electoral Commission and have held two street protests in Tamale and Kumasi to express their disapproval of the move.

But speaking in a television interview with Accra-based Citi TV on Tuesday [January 21, 2020], Mr Boadu said the NDC is being disingenuous in its opposition to the new register.

“While demonstrating, they [NDC] are [also] motivating their people to go out there and register. So, the good people of this country shouldn’t be deceived by this deception. We are waiting for the Electoral Commission to come out with the days and plan for the movement of their machines and the periods for the registration exercise for us to get ourselves registered. If the NDC believes in what they are saying, they should boycott it when it gets to the registration date. Election or registration is not compulsory in this country,” he said.

New voters’ register brouhaha

The EC’s decision to compile a new voters’ register as well as upgrade its election management system has been met with opposition from the six political parties.

However, after Tuesday's street protest in Kumasi the opposition parties announced that they have suspended subsequent street protests.

The NDC’s National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo addressing the demonstrators in Kumasi on Tuesday said the suspension is to allow for the EC’s Eminent Persons Advisory Body to intervene to get the EC to grant them audience at an IPAC meeting.

credit: Citinewsroom