Jean Mensa, NIA boss to appear in Parliament on Tuesday over new election CI

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, and the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, Kenneth Attafuah, are expected to appear before Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, to brief the House on the commission’s proposed Constitutional Instrument (CI).

Due to Madam Mensa’s absence from the House, the Minority in Parliament objected to the briefing by EC officials last Thursday.

The EC’s CI is attempting to use the Ghana Card as the primary document for voter registration in the upcoming general elections.

The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, announced that the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, will appear before the legislators on Tuesday.

“The EC officials had established contact with the Chairperson, who had agreed to come down for us to have the committee of the whole meeting, but she delayed because the Minority MPs were picking up their parliamentary forms. So on Tuesday, she will appear, and we will continue with the committee of the whole meeting.”

Parliament has denied reports that a Constitutional Instrument seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole document registration document for elections has been passed.

A statement by the Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament explained that the House only held pre-presentation discussions on the CI, to collect input from relevant sources for the drafting of the Constitutional Instrument (CI).

“The attention of Parliament Ghana has been drawn to a report in the Ghanaian Times alleging that Parliament has passed a Constitutional Instrument (CI) to adopt the Ghana Card as the sole registration document.

“Parliament states categorically that it has not passed any such instrument. In any case, Parliament does not pass Constitutional Instruments.”