PPP cautions EC over NHIS registrants

Ashanti regional Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Mr. Lawrence Appiah, has cautioned the Electoral Commission (EC) that his party will use every legal means possible to stop the upcoming General Elections, if the Commission fails to delete names of registrants with National Health Insurance (NHI) cards as ordered by the Supreme Court of Ghana.

According to him, per the recent ruling of the highest court of the land, it was clear that names of persons who in 2012 registered with NHI cards should be deleted.

Thus, the PPP expects the EC to expunge those names from the register so as to have peaceful and fair elections, he stressed.

Mr. Appiah noted that the EC, per the 1992 Constitution, is supposed to be neutral.

However, he claimed that the posture of the EC seems to be of a body working for a certain political party.

That development, he described, as unfortunate.

He intimated that in a situation where the EC and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) seem to be singing the same chorus, it definitely smacks of “dishonesty” on the part of the EC.

“Is it not interesting that the NDC is always defending the EC when everybody in the country has seen that the EC is wrong? If you are supposed to be the referee in such a crucial game and you begin wearing the jersey of one of the teams, what do you expect people to think?” Mr. Appiah asked.

Mr. Appiah was speaking to Today in an interview on his party’s position on the recent brouhaha over the voter’s register.

“Should anything untoward occur after the November 7 polls, Ghanaians will not be wrong to point accusing fingers at the EC for unprofessional conduct of its constitutional role, he affirmed.

He added: “We do not want a situation where the whole nation will come to a standstill for about six months just because a political party or individual will not accept the verdict by the EC, and is in court to challenge it. That is why we want to ensure that the right thing is done before the elections.” The PPP chairman further bemoaned the adamant nature of the EC and the strong backing by the NDC which he said has created a ring of suspicion among the other political parties, expressing fear that the attitude of the EC may affect the outcome of the November 7 polls.

He noted that even though PPP’s message of employment, good governance and transparency has gone down well with the electorate, they also need to be assured of a level playing field for all the political parties.

It would be recalled that the former National Youth Organiser of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr. Abu Ramadan, sued the EC at the Supreme Court over a claim that the electoral roll was bloated.

And the Supreme Court in its ruling a fortnight ago ordered the EC to clean the register by deleting ghost names and particularly those who in 2012 registered with NHI cards.