EC Can Only Compile New Register After Parliament Gives It Green Light …Majority Leader

Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has described as ignorant, claims over the Electoral Commission’s supposed attempts to start the compilation of a new voters’ register in spite Presidential ban on public gathering.

Addressing concerns on the EC’s perceived attempt to clandestinely start the process, the Majority Leader said the EC has no legal backing to compile a new register because Parliament has not yet given it such enablement.

“The Commission cannot do any registration for now, even if they intend to do so, they can’t because the constitutional instrument they have submitted have not matured so no registration exercise can go on,” the Majority Leader said.

“So whoever is alleging that [EC is compiling new voters’ register], is doing so out of complete ignorance, because the Electoral Commission cannot do that,” Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said.

By implication, the EC can only begin to compile a new register after Parliament has returned from break, which started today, May 1 and pass the LI.

The Majority Leader had made the intervention on the floor of the House after Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrissu had expressed concern about the EC’s defiance of the President’s ban on public gathering in its bid to compile the new register.

“Some public institutions [NIA and EC] are not respecting President’s pursuant to the imposition and restrictions. That is not legally right and it’s unacceptable,” Haruna Iddrisu said.

“You can provide all face masks and PPEs for your staff, can you provide same for the general public. Therefore, we should not be encouraging the flouting of the law.”

 Earlier, the Minority Leader had requested that the EC be summoned to Parliament to update Parliament on its plans for the 2020 general election.

But according to Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, the Minority Leader’s concerns are borne out of ignorance.

Interestingly, this is the same Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who was reportedly captured in a secret tape recording  telling NPP members in a secret meeting that if the EC succeeds in compiling a new register, NDC will never return to power again.

The EC has since December 2019, been insisting on the compilation of a new register, in an unpopular move that has been resisted by political parties which say the new register is intended to rig the 2020 elections for the ruling NPP and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that think it is unjustified.

However, the EC had ploughed on until the Covid-19 outbreak had to force it to shelve an earlier decision to start the compilation by early April. Even as the country fights COVID-19, the EC has been restlessly in its desire to compile the new register.