An amalgamation of political parties, civil society groups in the Savannah region with the identity “Savannah First” will storm the Yagbonwura’s Palace today 5th June, 2020 to request for the Gonja Traditional Council to halt the new voters registration process in the Savannah region as many will stand disenfranchised.
Speaking to Bole based Nkilgi FM ahead of their visit to the Yagbonwura’s Palace a Communication Bureau member of the group Mr Malik Basintale disclosed that a petition signed by the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Alhaji Seidu Imoro, the Chairman of the Peoples National Convention (PNC) Mr Mahama J. Wanye, Mohammed Amin as well as Mr Abdul Wahab of the All Peoples Congress (APC), Mr Adam A. Mahama of the Eagle Party, Mr Andrew Dokurugu of League of Christian Professionals and Mr Suadic Musah of the Alliance for Northern Pride will be presented to the Yagbonwura.
Mr Basintale said their call comes on the back of a letter issued by the National house of Chiefs dated 31st May, 2020 signed by Togbe Afede XIV and Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII cautioning the electoral commission on its failure to hold broader consultation on the matter of the new voter’s register and further directing that under no circumstance should any qualified voter be left out of the process.
He explained that they will draw the Yagbonwura’s attention that, the number of indigenes of the Savannah Region that will be left out of the registration process due to the basic documents required to enable them register, that is, the passport and the Ghana card.
Malik Basintale further said from the data of the National Identification Authority, out of the Savannah regional voter population of about 342,000 only 118,000 were registered with the Ghana card and this means that more than 224,000 were unable to register due to some poor measures suspected to be deliberate on the side of the NIA.
“The NIA admitted to errors in the five (5) Northern regions and in a letter dated 5th October, 2019, they apologized for their own misconduct” Mr Basintale said.
According to him if the new Voter’s registration is to commence today, a population of about 65% from the Savannah region will automatically be disenfranchised as less than 30% of the population have either Passports or the Ghana Card as required.
The Communication Bureau member of the “Savannah First” Coalition said many national and international Civil society groups such as CODEO, CDD, IMANI-GH, ASEPA, Persons with disability and other distinguished personalities such as Dr. Ibn Chambas, former President John Agyekum Kuffuor among others have cautioned the government not to go on with the new voters register with its current basic requirements as many will be disenfranchised and that has the tendency of plunging the country into Chaos.
“All these have proven not successful as the government together the Jean-Mensah led electoral commission have decided to turn a death ear to all clarion calls”; Malik Basintale said.
Source: nkilgifmonline.com
