2024 Elections: We strongly oppose the removal of indelible ink - NDC

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised concerns about the Electoral Commission's decision not to use indelible ink in the upcoming 2024 general elections.

The party raised concerns about potential negative consequences for the integrity of the electoral process, emphasising the importance of retaining indelible ink as a crucial component of the election verification process.

Addressing the issue during a press conference held at the NDC headquarters in Adabraka on Monday, 8 January 2024, the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, highlighted the multifaceted role of indelible ink in elections.

He stated that it serves as a visible and transparent means of verifying voters in addition to the biometric verification already in place.

“The NDC strongly opposes the removal of indelible ink because it visibly, transparently, and physically verifies voters in addition to biometric verification. Indelible ink marks and identifies voters to discourage and prevent them from engaging in multiple voting, particularly when there is apathy,” Mr Nketiah indicated.

Questioning the rationale behind abandoning a well-established and effective verification system, Mr Nketiah urged the Electoral Commission to reconsider its decision.

“Why do away with this multi-layered tried and tested verification system that adds additional credibility to Ghana’s electoral process?” Mr Nketiah quizzed.

He further noted: “In the event of a malfunction of the Biometric Verification Device (BVD), if a voter attempts to vote twice or more, the surest and quickest way to identify such a criminal is the stain of indelible ink on the person’s finger.

“The EC must not make life easy for criminals to exploit our electoral process. Moreover, without indelible ink, a pliant EC official can allow a voter to vote whether or not the person is on the register at a particular polling station.”