EC says it is committed to Supreme Court ruling

After receiving its certified copy of the Supreme Court judgment of the case of Abu Ramadan and Another vs. The Electoral Commission and Another, the Commission said it has taken note of the court’s orders regarding the cleaning of the existing Biometric Voters Register.

On Thursday, May 5, the Supreme Court ordered the Electoral Commission to delete from the electoral roll names of all dead people and persons who used the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card to register to vote as well as all minors.

A statement signed by a Deputy Chairman in Charge of Operations at the Commission, Mr. Amadu Sulley said :“We wish to assure the general public that prior to the ruling by the Supreme Court, the Commission had discussed the roadmap for cleaning the register with the political parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meeting held on Friday, March 18, 2016,” a statement from the EC said.

At that meeting, it was decided subject to the then-pending Supreme Court that the audit process as outlined by the Commission, was inclusive, transparent, and within the remit of the law, and that the audit of the Biometric Voter’s Register will take place during the scheduled exhibition period after the limited Voter Registration exercise.

The EC also said it was agreed the audit will involve removal of deceased registered voters, removal of multiple registrations (with the help of the AFIS software), removal of alleged minors and non-Ghanaians based on the production of evidence.

Also, in accordance with the provisions of CI 91, registered voters will be given the opportunity to verify their registration details at all polling centres nationwide, and during the verification of registered voters the EC will use biometric verification devices.

It said now with the Supreme Court ruling, the EC is studying the judgment and its implications on the audit mechanisms outlined and the implications for registered voters who registered with National Health Insurance Cards.

It said the Commission would make its views on the matter known in due course.

“The Commission reiterates its respect for the Apex Court and its commitment to continue to abide by the laws of Ghana and the rulings of the Supreme Court. Further, the Commission believes that the credibility of elections depends on a clean voters register. Therefore, all steps will be taken in line with existing law to ensure that the final register is clean and credible before the general elections on November 7.”