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The Christian Council of Ghana, and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, have entreated the Electoral Commission (EC) to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling on the voters’ register.

The two bodies contended that with the limited time ahead of the 2016 general election, the election management body would have to speed up the process of ensuring the electoral roll is cleaned as directed by the highest court of the land.

In an emphatic stance in a joint communiqué issued after a meeting in Accra, the Christian organizations asked the EC to rid the register of persons who registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Cards.


The Supreme Court in an unambiguous ruling on May 5, 2016, directed the EC to take immediate steps to delete from the voters’ register, names of unqualified persons including those who used NHIIS cards as a form of identification as Ghanaians. 

The Apex Court also asked the Commission to give such people the opportunity to register again with lawful form of identification.

This follows a previous ruling by the same court in a case brought by a former National Youth Organiser of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan, in which the court ruled that use of NHIS card was an unlawful proof of citizenship.

According to the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Dr Opuni Frimpong, since the EC has not given Ghanaians any impression to believe that it doesn’t understand the Supreme Court’s ruling, it has to implement the decision.

He said the current misunderstanding over the interpretation of the SC’s ruling is attributable to the public pronouncement of some lawyers which he described as unfortunate.

“If the EC understands what the Supreme Court has asked it to do then as the ruling said immediately, it has to do so….We want to see that happening. We are close to the election,” Dr. Opuni-Frimpong stated.