Talking about the guarantor system in voter registration exercise, the Electoral Commission of Ghana on Tuesday reiterated and gave further reasons why the system under the current circumstances, has outlived its usefulness and cannot be maintained.
The best proof of a person’s citizenship in Ghana is the Ghana national identity card, the Ghana Card, the commission said.
The use of the guarantor system is fraught with blatant abuse as witnessed in the just ended voters registration exercise, it added.
The Deputy Chairperson in charge of operations, Samuel Tettey said this when he addressed a press conference in Accra on Tuesday afternoon (Oct 17, 2023).
He gave examples of circumstances where some people are being processed for prosecution because they gave false information in guaranteeing for others to register as voters and that the commission will publish their names.
Mr Tettey was giving an update on the just ended voters registration exercise ahead of the district level elections.
He said most countries in the sub-region to mention but a few, Nigeria, South African, Senegal, Rwanda, and Kenya do not use the guarantor system as evidence of identification as a citizen.
“If indeed we are committed to strengthening our electoral processes then the Guarantor system must be abolished sooner than later. We call on Government to fund NIA. Additionally, we entreat Parliament to approve/pass the C.I. on the registration of voters.”
“The Commission abhors the encouragement of minors to register. This is a crime. It does not auger well for us as a nation and we urge all citizens and stakeholders to join the Commission to solve this long age canker. The sad fact is that these minors were bussed to registration centres by citizens who should know better. This is unpardonable and we once again, call on government to resource NIA to produce the cards and the Parliament to approve the C.I. to enable us use the Ghana Card as sole means to identify a person’s citizenship,” Mr Tettey said.
He said all the guarantors who breached the law and perpetuated the act of guaranteeing for more than ten (10) applicants, will not go unpunished.
“Their names will be published in the National Dailies and they will be brought to prosecution. It is in the interest of the Commission to register every eligible applicant/citizen. However, the Commission will not sit aloof to let go offenders who flout its laws.
“In our previous press briefing, we projected videos and photos of minors in queue registering. Again, as part of our efforts to ensure that every eligible voter gets registered, a directive was issued by the Commission to all its Officers to issue chits/numbers to all applicants in the queue on or before 5pm to go to the registration centres the next day to register.