The Eminent Advisory Committee (EAC) of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) has been urged to state its position on the move by the election-management body to procure new gadgets for the 2020 elections.
Senior Lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) Dr Ahmed Jinapor believes by stating its position, the EAC will chart a course for the seemingly feuding parties – the EC and the Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voter Register (IPRNA).
There has been tension between the two parties as regards the move by the EC to procure the gadgets, which will be used in the compilation of a new register for the December polls.
While the EC is resolved on compiling the new register with the pretext that the current register is defective, the IPRNA is against it.
Consisting some seven political parties, the IPRNA has taken its fight against the move onto the streets and petitioned other eminent statesmen including former presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor as well as Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
After a crunch meeting on Wednesday, January 15, the EAC advised the EC to engage further with the political parties against the move.
This led to a suspension of the political parties’ street protests.
But the meeting, which came off on Thursday, January 30, ended inconclusively with the political parties against the new voters’ register not happy with the stance of the EAC.
Apparently, it was agreed that the EAC would issue a communique – agreed and perused by all gathered – after the dialogue, held at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra.
The IPRNA has, consequently, served notice of resumption of its protests and will on Tuesday, February 4 march to the headquarters of the EC.
Speaking on TV3/3FM’s The Key Points on Saturday, Dr Jinapor said it is high time the Committee of 21 eminent Ghanaians stated its position on the decision by the EC.
“I want to hear the position of the Eminent Advisory Committee.
“It looks as if they are playing some delay tactics.”
According to the lecturer, a stance by the EAC could staunch any further actions on the part of the EC and the political parties.
He cited how a redoubtable position taken by the National House of Chiefs in the matter of the referendum on the involvement of political parties in district level elections put paid to agitations and, ultimately, the process.
“Finality has to be brought to this issue,” Dr Jinapor maintained.
He said the Committee is not technically constituted to mediate on matters but rather offer advice.
“They can’t keep on to be mediator. Their advice should be to bring a position on the way forward.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana