The NPP advocated for the 2012 biometric register out of their deep-seated belief that Nana Akufo-Addo can only win elections if the register was changed.
They got Gabby Asare Otchere Darko’s Danquah Institute (DI) to set the agenda. So in February 2010, DI organized a big conference on biometric voter register and e-voting. They got other stakeholders including the Electoral Commission to support the compilation of a biometric register which cost GH¢ 243.5m.
It didn’t end there. When the EC accepted to compile a biometric register, the NPP came back and demanded for biometric verification in addition. At that point experts warned that introducing two major electoral reforms in an election could be problematic but they made so much noise to the extent that the EC had no choice than to accept to introduce the verification. No wonder in the 2012 elections, there were difficulties that led to postponement of voting for another day with all the chaos that accompanied it.
With all that, the NPP lost the 2012 elections. As characteristic of Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP failed to accept the results and therefore held the entire country to ransom for 8 good months!This development largely affected investor activity and slow inflow of development assistance throughout the period.
After the verdict that confirmed the the validity of the election of John Mahama, they began another round of campaign painting all the walls in Accra calling for a new register. They used Let My Vote Count Alliance and all the forces they could marshal for a new voters register for the 2016 election. Clearly, this didn’t make sense. That a nation will spend so much money to compile a biometric register and change same in less than 4 years.
Dr. Bawumia threw his reputation to the dogs and came up with ridiculous arguments that they used facial identification technology to establish that many voters on the Togolese register were on Ghana’s voters register. The EC set up a Committee to investigate those claims but Bawumia somehow disappeared with his evidence.
After all these charade came to an end, the NPP then used Abu Ramadan and co to try and get the court to nullify the register but the Supreme Court resisted that temptation. But they succeeded in getting the court to delete the names of those who registered with National Health Insurance Cards.
When the NPP won the 2016 elections, they removed the EC chair and her deputies from office and brought Jean Mensa to compile a new register for them.
Isn’t it interesting that the same NPP that advocated for the 2012 register is asking what is there about the same register that the NDC doesn’t want it changed?
Clearly, legally and technically the current register is credible for the 2020 elections having been used for elections previously. The EC used the taxpayers money to maintain this register since its compilation including its the 2019 district level elections.
With the above elucidation, I believe Ghanaians will now understand the true character of the NPP as people who lack principle and are not credible.
Dr. Jones Appiah
Kumasi