The Non - Aligned Voters Association of Ghana (NAVAG), a non - partisan voters community, has implored the Electoral Commission (EC) to halt the centralisation of its limited voter registration exercise in the country.
NAVAG therefore entreated the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Adukwei Mensah, to reconsider the decision of conducting limited voter registration only at it's district offices instead of the 1500 Electoral Areas across the country as gazetted.
"Elections are processes and not events hence all programs, actions and inactions in the lead to
voting should be free, fair and transparent to enable every eligible citizen exercise his or her
franchise" it stressed.
The Association further said "fairly electing leaders without any impediment and intimidation as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana is the best way to go".
In a press statement issued on Friday and signed by the Founder and President of NAVAG, Mr Kwofie Benibengor, on the state of democracy in Ghana, said it is one of the objectives of NAVAG to monitor electoral processes and elections in the country.
He indicated that NAVAG is of the view that given the distances between the electoral areas and district centers, there is the likelihood that many eligible voters would be disenfranchised.
The Association stated that preventing residents from registering would be a
violation of their constitutional rights to participate in the governance of a participatory
democracy.
"The EC should desist from any act presumed to favor any particular political party because the
process is as equally important as the voting day"
"It must be noted that rigging begins from the process of voter registration to declaration of
results" it further emphasised.
NAVAG again noted that time and lack of resources in accessing the district electoral offices in no doubt would prevent most Ghanaians from getting registered.
The non - partisan voters community is completely embarrassed as many citizens would be disenfranchised per the centralisation of the registration to only the district offices of the EC.
Ghana cannot afford to have a general election with some of her eligible voters being disenfranchised just because they could not access the registration with convenience as prescribed by our Electoral Act.
Mr Kwofie Benibengor urged the EC to desist from decisions depicting insensitivity to the plights of Ghanaians in the electoral areas from accessing the district electoral offices.
Under the current economic circumstances, most people are likely to be prevented from getting
themselves registered as voters.
NAVAG, therefore calls on all voices of conscience , well meaning Ghanaians, Ghana Bar
Association, religious and traditional institutions to join the calls on the EC to extend the registration venues to all the electoral areas as prescribed in the Electoral Act.
NAVAG thereby wishes to remind the EC that it's outfit was created just to serve the collective
good interest of Ghanaians to participate in the political governance, as enshrined in the 1992 constitution.
It therefore has no right to discharge it's mandatory responsibility in any manner which has the tendency of disenfranchising any Ghanaian from exercising his or her civic responsibility.
The EC Chairperson is conscious that cost of time and resources from the electoral areas to the
designated district electoral offices would disenfranchised a good number of Ghanaians.
The concern of NAVAG to decentralize the registration venues is not backed by any political party,
our course is to ensure every Ghanaian is provided the open opportunity to be involved in the
democratic process of Ghana.
The peace, cohesion and stability being enjoyed as a country largely depends on elections, therefore we have a national duty to sustain and improve our democratic journey by ensuring that all the processes of 2024 general elections are free, fair and transparent.
The survival and consolidation of our democracy must be guarded jealously.