Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. says the decision by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to abandon one of the reliefs in their legal case at the Supreme Court regarding the EC's mass registration exercise doesn't mean the Commission can compile a new voters' register.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has slated the registration exercise for Tuesday, June 30, 2020, despite oppositions.
The exercise is scheduled to last for 38 days.
Prior to the announcement of the date of the registration exercise, the NDC rank and file had challenged the Commission's constitutional mandate to hold the mass registration exercise and compile a new voters' register, at the Supreme Court.
The party also seeks declaration on the constitutionality of the EC to exclude the voters' ID card as part of the identification requirements for the exercise.
The NDC however dropped their case on whether or not the EC should conduct the exercise but their petition on the exclusion of the voters' ID card still holds before the law court.
Some political critics believe the NDC's decision to go for their relief on the voters' ID card while they drop their case on the registration exercise supports the EC's decision to compile a new voters' register.
But Kwesi Pratt thinks differently as he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' that the NDC's petition at the Supreme Court can invalidate the EC's new voters' registration exercise, albeit it is the Supreme Court ruling that will determine the outcome.
"If the Supreme Court rules that the old registration form is a valid document for entering onto a register, it means that you're not compiling a new register. You'll be reviewing the register," he said.
Watch full submissions below:
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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KWESI PRATT, NDC BROUGHT TWO PETITIONS TO SC. THE FIRST CONCERNS THE COMPILATION OF VOTERS' REGISTER. SHOULD THE COMPILATION IN THE CONSTITUTION MEAN ONE TIME OR SOME OTHER TIMES DEEMED NECESSARY. SUPPORTING THEIR VIEW OF ONE TIME NDC, INTERPRETS ALL OTHER REGISTRATIONS AFTER 1992 AS REVIEWS. SC HAS TO RULE WHETHER OR NOT THE CONSTITUTION RESTRICT EC TO COMPILE REGISTER ONLY ONCE IN THE LIFE TIME OF THE FOURTH REPUBLIC. THE NDC HAS TO PROVE THAT, AS IT IS THE FACT, ALL OTHER REGISTRATIONS AFTER 1992 WERE JUST REVIEWS. THIS WAS NOT AN EASY TASK FOR NDC AND SO IT WAS ABANDONED AND IT WAS STRUCK OUT. THUS, EC'S MANDATE TO COMPILE NEW REGISTER IS NO LONGER CHALLENGED. EC CAN BEGIN TO COMPILE NEW REGISTER AS SCHEDULED FROM JUNE 30, EVEN IF THE SECOND PETITION IS NOT SETTLED BY THEN. THE SECOND CASE OF NDC IS THAT EC SHOULD INCLUDE IN THE REGISTRATION THE OLD VOTER'S CARD. IN FACT THE SECOND PETITION IS ALREADY DEAD BY ABANDONING THE FIRST PETITION. HOW COULD ONE USE A VOTER'S CARD WHICH VOTERS' REGISTER IS NOT SUPPORTED BUT ABANDONED AND DISCARDED. ADDRESSING PRATT CONCERN IF, IN AN UNLIKELY EVENT, THE SC RULES THAT OLD VOTERS REGISTER SHOULD BE USED THE EC FROM THAT POINT WOULD HAVE TO ALLOW PEOPLE WITH THE OLD VOTERS' CARD TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION. IF THE JUDGEMENT HAPPENS AFTER REGISTRATION THE EC WOULD HAVE TO OPEN SOME DAYS TO REGISTER THE OLD VOTER'S CARD BEARERS. THE PROBLEM WITH THE OLD CARD USAGE WOULD BE WHETHER THE EC HAS THE CAPACITY TO VERIFY THEIR AUTHENTICITY EITHER AT THE REGISTRATION CENTERS OR AT ITS DATABASE. ANOTHER CONCERN WOULD BE THAT WHAT WOULD BECOME OF THOSE WHO WOULD BE REJECTED AT THE DATABASE AND THEIR NEW CARDS THAT WOULD BE ISSUED TO THEM. IT IS GOOD FOR ALL, INCLUDING NDC AND PRATT, THAT WE ABANDON THE OLD VOTER'S CARD TO AVOID ANY CONFUSION AND COMPLICATIONS.
To sum it up, Uncle Kwesi talks as if the head doesn't WORK. Nobody can stop that OLD MAN from winning this election. NDC save money for 2024....
How can you think for the SC. Mr. Doomsday. Your wish cannot the wish of the people or the electorate
This unintelligent deputy minister now has the confidence and temerity to speak because he is on Sefa Kayi's show. Sampson made him sweat last Sunday and he was exposed so bad as the most unintelligent of all nana addo's ministers.
NPP SOUNDS FUNNY ANYTIME VOTER CARDS DEBATE POPS UP, TIME WILL TELL PAAAAA
That is your wish which will never materialise...... You are an NDC mole pretending to b e a CPP member.
if wishes were horses, the man is loosing it because of nokofio hes struggling to please his pay masters and justify the use of the state owned V8 LAND CRUISER he is using illegally
Well Mr Pratt no matter what your diabolical submission will not wash so just pocket and bath no one cares
I listened to Mr. Pratt and I realized how untrue he sounds. A really bad submission. I've never seen or heard Mr. Pratt like that. Anyway, it might be one of those days.