The EC keeps Dancing around the Issues

The EC says it is impossible for them to connive with any political party to rig elections because the electoral process is transparent. That is where the EC assumes it is addressing empty heads. We are not empty headed human beings.

There could be international cameras everywhere to observe a transparent registration and election. Yet, when the primary documents to be used to ascertain the voter ID card has been issued in such a manner that some people from a particular political stronghold are disenfranchised, no one would see anything wrong on the day of registration for the card, or the day of voting. But, those in whose favour the registration went, would have had the relief of an expected outcome.

The NIA issued 6.5 million cards as against some 11 million or so registered. The NIA card is being considered the most popular source of identification into the new voters roll. What it means is, if you are to be able to register onto the new register, you must produce the Ghana Card, a Passport, and where you can’t, any two persons who have been able to enroll onto the register could guarantee for you.

Let us all understand that under the circumstance, the more the people have the Ghana Card, the easier it is for them to register and the more likely as many as would wish to register, could be captured into the register before the 8 days allocated to each registration center. This means that the more cumbersome the process (which means more people guaranteeing in areas of limited availability of cards), the less the people that can be registered. And this means again, that if there was a conceived plan, it would be winning on the blind side.

And here, note how the registration for the Ghana Card was done. The problems with the Ghana Card were transported from Greater Accra into Volta Region, the stronghold of the NDC. The same problems were transported to Oti, another stronghold of the NDC, moved to the Northern Regions with similar challenges and similar registration kits. When the NIA was readying to deploy for Ashanti, the stronghold of the ruling NPP, the number of registration equipment increased from it’s original average of 1,500 to about 5,000.

This meant that as many communities in the Ashanti Region, had registration ongoing which meant the population distribution to every registration center was smaller allowing for efficiency, the ability to register many, and the possibility of having more ID cards issued to them than everywhere.

From Ashanti, they moved to a swing region, the Central Region and ended at the Eastern Region, a stronghold of the ruling NPP albeit that the process was truncated due to Covid-19.

It is not too much for any conspiracies to point at a certain agenda.

Do not forget, when the EC appeared in Parliament to respond to questions, the Ghana Card registration didn’t go far. Don’t forget that the NIA works under the President and don’t forget that the manner the current leadership of the EC were appointed, one cannot be wrong to predict a constant communication with the appointing authority (after all, Mrs. Jean Mensa attends parties organized for female appointees of President Akufo-Addo). The EC officials denied categorically that the Ghana Card would not be used for the purposes of registration for the 2020 elections.

From the above paragraph, it means that card couldn’t have been much of a needed card for elections. As a result, the parties, especially the NDC whose strongholds were being registered at the time, didn’t find it compelling to encourage registration onto the Ghana Card platform. Soon after the registrations were done in areas where the NDC wins with ease, the EC began moves to inform of the use of the Ghana Card. Indeed, while in the Ashanti Region with their registration, the EC introduced an amendment to CI 91 in Parliament seeking to amend the required documents to be only the Ghana Card and the Passport.

Are you understanding why the massive deployment by the NIA to the Ashanti Region if we agree that there is communication between government, the NIA and the EC? Is there no room for one to speculate conspiracy at a time that as soon as the NIA appeared in the NPP stronghold of Ashanti, the EC began revealing its intention of using the Ghana Card as the most popular identity document for one to obtain the voter ID card? At that time, it had become compelling for the NPP to mobilize in the Ashanti Region to ensure more of their people register.

Is there any wonder that with registration from Accra, through Volta, Oti, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Western North, North-East, Upper West, Bono East, West, etc., the total number registered by the NIA stood at 4.3 million yet, in 3 weeks of registration in the Ashanti Region, the total registered increased to 7.2 million? Can’t you read between the lines?

At the time political parties would have had any interest in the Ghana Card registration, the registration exercise was left with 3 regions, two of which are for the NPP and the other, a swing region.

Does the EC need to think for you and I on what the agenda is? Here, if the NIA could even issue cards to all who have registered to be able to register for the Voter ID cards, the NDC is already suppressed in its strongholds because the EC lied to them that the NIA cards would not be used hence did not mobilise their people.

The weakest attempt to dismiss this conspiracy would be the alternative of guaranteeing for them. I stated earlier and I would state again. Guaranteeing for someone takes a lot more time than someone who has the required ID getting registered. Once there are so many people being guaranteed for, the process becomes more cumbersome, registration delays, and there is a higher propensity of registration ending on the allocated day without actually capturing all who are eligible to register and vote. Voter population under such circumstances, would have been suppressed.

This whole exercise is a complex one which requires complex analysis. The cliché of elections being won at the polling station would collapse here. Polling stations are made up of voters. The less the voters on the register of a polling station of supporters of a political party, the loss has already been engineered and would happen.

The EC lied to the public, and smartly redesigned their purpose when it is only the NPP that has the change to mobilise for their interest. Let’s even assume that all registered NIA cards are issued, which region has the most registered? Which regions had the hint of the need for this NIA card being used for elections purposes? And in which party’s interest does this go?

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