The Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio constituency, Edwin Nii Lante Vandepuye has taken a swipe at the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa over her outfit’s insistence on compiling a new voters’ register despite several concerns raised.
He said Jean Mensa’s position puts Ghana on a path of chaos and destruction.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, he said the chairperson must move away from a posture of arrogance and rather embrace engagements and dialogues with election stakeholders on the matter of getting a new register.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) are among those speaking against the planned compilation of a new register stating among other reasons the very limited time the country has to hold general elections in 2020 and the cost involved.
The Electoral Commission has also in series of media interviews defended the plan, citing claims of a bloated register and obsolete electronic voting system.
They also say the new system to be developed to accompany the register will be advanced in technology and includes a facial recognition ability.
The Chairperson herself, Jean Mensa has indicated that the Commission will go ahead to compile a new register whether or not the NDC and other critics support it.
But Nii Lante Vandepuye says the EC boss must reconsider her posture to ensure that peace prevails.
“I think this particular EC Chair is pushing Ghana down the path of destruction. Her intransigence, her arrogance and her pride and attitude does not look well for someone who heads a very vital institution like the Electoral Commission. If you head an institution like the EC, your demeanour, utterances and posture should not be the one that engenders consultation and attract people to want to have a meeting with you,” he said.
He further stressed that the NDC and the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register will not rest until the EC reconsiders the decision which in his view has the ability to destroy the peace in the country.
“I want her to know that people fought to secure the democracy, the peace and tranquillity we are enjoying in this country, and we shall not allow her to plunge this country into abyss…If we have a discussion and you say you don’t care what we say, then you are not looking for peace,” he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people backed by the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register staged a demonstration in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, on Saturday, to protest the EC’s decision.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said similar demonstrations will be held in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions to press home their demands for the EC to rescind its decision.
Source: citinewsroom.com
