The Electoral Commission is set to commence the limited voters’ registration tomorrow despite a lawsuit, challenging its decision to limit the exercise to only its district offices.
5 opposition parties, on Thursday, September 7, 2023, filed a suit at the Supreme Court after the EC ignored their calls to decentralise the exercise.
The parties include the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Convention People’s Party (CPP), All People’s Congress (APC), Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) and the Great Consolidated People’s Party (GCPP).
In the suit jointly filed at the Apex Court, the parties argue that the decision by the EC will disenfranchise many prospective applicants especially those in hard to reach areas hence, infringes on their constitutional rights to be registered as voters.
They, thus, urge the court to declare the electoral management body’s decision null and void and order it to take the exercise to the doorsteps of eligible Ghanaians by extending it to the various electoral areas across the country.
The parties have also filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction to stop the EC from going ahead with exercise until the matter is determined.
But while the court is yet to decide on the application seeking to injunct the registration exercise, the EC has announced that it is going ahead with the exercise as scheduled.
In a statement dated September 11, 2023 and signed by its Acting Head of Public Affairs, Michael Boadu, the EC said the exercise will commence tomorrow, September 12 at all its district offices and end on October 2.
“The Electoral Commission wishes to inform the General Public that the 2023 Voters Registration Exercise begins on Tuesday, 12th September, 2023 and ends on Monday, 2nd October, 2023. The registration takes place at all the 268 District Offices of the Electoral Commission”.
It urged persons who have attained the voting age since the last registration exercise and those who could not partake in that exercise despite attaining the voting age to visit the centres with the required documents or two guarantors to be registered.
While encouraging eligible applicants to register and vote in the upcoming local level elections, it warned against non-Ghanaians and minors partaking in the exercise, noting that it is a criminal offense and perpetrators will be made to face the law if they are found out.
