The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is opposing the GH₵10 charge by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the replacement of missing voter ID cards.
In an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Thursday, the Deputy Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Jibril, questioned the relevance of the fee.
“I have always had issues with the payment because you can vote without an ID card once your name is in the register so why should I compulsorily pay for something I don’t really need?
“Why should I pay GH₵10 to exercise my civic responsibility? This is a lot of money for some people, especially in the remote areas aside from the fact that they have to pick vehicles to the EC offices to replace the cards,” he stated.
The EC will from today, May 30, 2024, begin the replacement of voter ID cards ahead of the 2024 election.
The exercise which will end on Friday, June 14, 2024, is to ensure that all eligible voters have their identification cards in time for the upcoming elections.
To streamline the replacement process, applicants are to pay a fee of GH¢10.00.
The payment can be made conveniently through a mobile money short code: 2221067#.
Once the payment is completed, applicants will receive a reference code as proof of payment and facilitate the swift processing of the new card.
However, Alhaji Jibril charged to EC to reconsiders the decision, particularly now that the ID cards are just for voting.
“The EC is saying the Akosombo flood victims can replace their cards for free. So why can’t we do this nationwide? Previously, the voter ID card was used for other things so the C.I was valid but now things have changed. So with this charge, the EC is just discouraging high turnout; if it becomes difficult for people to replace their cards, they may not vote,” he added.
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