The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has leveled allegations against the National Identification Authority (NIA), claiming that it is collaborating with the Electoral Commission (EC) to manipulate the upcoming 2024 general election by suppressing crucial data.
This follows from the EC’s decision to exclusively accept the Ghana Card as a valid document for voter registration in the forthcoming election.
According to the NDC, the NIA is deliberately hindering the registration of these cards in specific regions, citing the closure of several NIA offices in certain districts as evidence of their claims.
During an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Mustapha Gbande, the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, asserted that the NIA is imposing a fee of GHS280 for premium service in select regions. This, according to Gbande, contradicts the fundamental principle that the Ghana Card is a public document accessible to all citizens of Ghana.
“As we speak today, NIA is in certain regions undertaking premium express service and you are required to pay about 280 before you can be given a Ghana card. In this economy when people cannot even get food to eat.
“At this time when the issue of Ghana card has become so important how do we then say that it is a public service or document when the whole intent of the institution that is supposed to be giving that service is rather trying to make profit and commercialise it. Ghanaians cannot have access to the registration, they cannot afford it yet we are supposed to feel that it is a public document.”
Mr Gbande said the NIA was only engaged in an exercise that was geared at preventing Ghanaians from registering for the Ghana card.
“We also feel that the NIA is deliberating doing that to allow for data suppression so that if it becomes the only document for registration to acquire a voter ID card then that data have been suppressed would have affected the election of 2024,” he added.
