The Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sued the Electoral Commission (EC) for attempting to compile of a new voter register for the 2020 elections.

The EC is bent on compiling a new voter roll for the upcoming elections.

In the midst of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, the EC has revealed that it will still go ahead with the registration of voters at a date to be announced.

However, a writ filed by the NDC on Thursday, 19 March 2020, indicated that the electioneering body can only compile a Voter Register once and revise it periodically and, therefore, lacks the power to proceed with the compilation of the new voter roll.

The NDC is, thus, seeking a “declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 45(a) of the 1992 Constitution, 2nd Defendant [the EC] has the constitutional power to, and can, compile a register of voters only once, and thereafter revise it periodically, as may be determined by law. Accordingly, 2nd Defendant can only revise the existing register of voters, and lacks the power to prepare a fresh register of voters, for the conduct of the December 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.”

The NDC is also praying the court to make the EC overturn its decision of prohibiting the use of the existing Voter ID as proof for the registration of the new register and  is therefore seeking a “Declaration that the 2nd Defendant, in purporting to exercise its powers pursuant to article 51 of the 1992 Constitution to exclude the existing voter identification cards from the documents required as proof of identification to enable a person register as a voter without any justification is arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and contrary to article 296 of the 1992 Constitution.

“Upon a true and proper interpretation of the Constitution, specifically, Article 42, the EC’s purported amendment of Regulation 1 sub-regulation 3 of the  Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I 91) through the Public Elections (Registration of Voters)(Amendment) Regulations, 2020 to exclude existing voter identification cards as proof of identification to enable a person apply for registration as a voter according to the NDC is “unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

The NDC has been leading other political parties to demonstrate against the EC over the compilation of the new register.