Some Ghanaians have taken to social media to react to the Supreme Court ruling which has stated that Ghana’s birth certificate cannot be used for any form of identification.
If readers can recall, the Electoral Commission of Ghana laid a new Constitutional Instrument (CI) before parliament to regulate the conduct of election 2020. The C.I. 126 was then given the approval by parliament but without controversy and disagreements.
The C.I. 126 then excluded the old voters’ ID and Birth Certificate as one of the breeder documents required to acquire the new voters’ ID but only accepting Ghanaian passports, Ghana Card and two guarantors.
Meanwhile, to acquire Ghana card and Ghanaian passport, one is required to tender in birth certificate as proof of Ghanaian citizenship and this is what many Ghanaians raised a red flag as to why the birth certificate should be excluded in the C.I. 126.
Rising tension over the issues, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a private citizen of Ghana, Mark Takyi Banson dragged the Electoral Commission to the Supreme Court seeking the court to rule that the old voters’ ID and birth certificate should be accepted as one of the breeder documents for the acquisition of the new voters’ ID.
However, the Supreme Court on June 25, 2020 ruled in favour of the Electoral Commission giving it the green light to go ahead with the compilation of the new register in accordance with C.I. 126.
The decision written by Justice Ashie Kotey states that a birth certificate does not link its holder to the information it contains. It adds that it provides no evidence of citizenship.
This decision of the Supreme Court has pushed many Ghanaians to call on the President of Ghana, Akufo-Addo to close down the birth and death registry of Ghana if there is no use for a birth certificate.
By: Efo Korsi Senyo / awakenewsroom.com
