General News of Thursday, 28 June 2018

Source: rainbowradioonline.com

Emboss NPP logo on Ghana card if you won't accept voter's ID - Siidi Abubakar

Siidi Abubakar, National Youth Organizer for NDC Siidi Abubakar, National Youth Organizer for NDC

National Youth Organizer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Siidi Abubakar, has called on the National Identification Authority (NIA), to emboss the logo of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the Ghana card if they are adamant in allowing Ghanaians register with the Voter’s ID Card.

He made the comments in reaction to the decision by the NIA to reject the call by the NDC to consider the Voter’s ID card as part of the documents required for the registration and issuance of the card Ghana.

He was surprised the ruling party is preventing Ghanaians from using the Voter’s ID card although the current president was elected by Ghanaians with the same card they claim is fraught with irregularities.

The NIA made it clear that “Only birth certificates and passports will be used as identification for acquisition of the card, as provided for by the National Identification Amendment Law 2017 (Act 950)”.

But Siidi Abubakar says the number of people with the requirements is few because there are some remote areas in the country, where those who live there do not have access to a birth certificate and a passport.

The NDC he said will not rescind its decision to boycott the exercise and if the ruling government fail to consider their position then ‘’I will advise the president and the NIA to add its emblem on the card to show that they are only registering NPP members and not Ghanaians. If truly they want the card to reflect the national nature that we are all looking for, they must consider our recommendation but if they fail, they have to add the NPP emblem on the card.’’

Ghanaians in his view will boycott the exercise if the Voter’s ID card is not accepted. He has therefore advised government to go back to parliament under a certificate of urgency to add the Voter’s ID in the same manner they rushed to parliament to have it eliminated from the requirements.

Meanwhile, former President John Agyekum Kufour has advised the NIA to add the Voter’s ID card as part of the documents.

“Documents that will help identify a citizen as a citizen will be sovereign authority in him or her so if your voter ID is not incorporated…I think it should be added,” the former President noted when officials of the National Identification Authority went to his home to register him for the card on Tuesday.