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The Christian Council of Ghana, has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to fully involve the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and other key stakeholders in all the processes concerning the voters' register to avoid any misunderstanding and confusion.

In a joint statement dated Monday, September 28, 2020 issued together with the Eminent Persons Group of Religious Leaders in Ghana and signed by Rt. Rev. J.O.Y. Mante as chairman of EPG, they expressed the hope that the EC would provide an enabling environment where all critical stakeholders would be able to engage in the processes to avoid suspicion.

According to EPG, the EC should therefore welcome any complaints emanating from any political party and assuage their fears of disenfranchising any registered voter.

In the statement titled “The Preliminary Voters’ List Exhibition Tension,” the EPG said, “We have taken note of complaints by the National Democratic Congress, as well as the response by the Electoral Commission of the seemingly large numbers of registrants, who cannot find their names on the preliminary voters list.”

The Eminent Persons Group has therefore appealed to all Ghanaians, especially the political parties, to assist the EC in any way they can to facilitate a smooth run of the voters register exhibition exercise currently underway.

Below is a copy of the statement

CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF GHANA

EMINENT PERSONS GROUP OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN GHANA

Statement: The Preliminary Voters’ List Exhibition Tension


Dearly beloved citizens of Ghana we, the members of the Eminent Persons Group and the Christian Council of Ghana, send you our warmest greetings of peace and love.

The Eminent Persons Group of Religious Leaders (EPG) and the Christian Council of Ghana, believe that the ongoing voter exhibition exercise is to identify and correct mistakes in the voter register.


We have taken note of complaints by the National Democratic Congress, as well as the response by the Electoral Commission of the seemingly large numbers of registrants, who cannot find their names on the preliminary voters list.

By law the Electoral Commission is required to publish the voter register, so that electors can confirm that they have been included, and that their details are correct. This stage, offers an opportunity to correct entries and to challenge the exclusion of eligible, and inclusion of any ineligible persons, before the EC publishes the ‘certified’ voter register.

The voters list serves not only the Electoral Commission by providing the definitive statement of the eligibility of each voter. It also serves political parties and candidates by providing them with the names and contact information of all individuals who are eligible to vote for them during the upcoming election.  The EC should therefore welcome any such complaints emanating from any Political Party and assuage their fears of disenfranchising any registered voter. Additionally, the EC must fully involve IPAC and other key stakeholders in all the processes to avoid situations that we are witnessing at this time when the election is so close.
The Eminent Persons Group is therefore appealing to all Ghanaians, especially the Political Parties, to assist the Electoral Commission (EC) in any way they can to facilitate a smooth run of the voters register exhibition exercise currently underway.

The Eminent Persons Group is hopeful that the EC would provide an enabling environment where all critical stakeholders would be able to engage in the processes to avoid suspicion.

We call on the media to support the process and avoid sensationalism.

We consider it both a privilege and an inherent part of our calling to accompany Ghanaians in their search for peace and justice via the democratic elections. We are committed to non-partisanship, seeking the will of God, and observing the election process in line with human rights. In fulfilling our mission, we are guided by the principles of universality, transparency, confidentiality, fairness and freedom.

Rt. Rev. Prof. J.O.Y. Mante
Chairman, Eminent Persons Group of Religious Leaders