NIA gives Gyampo 24hr ultimatum to publish alleged registration equipment research

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has given a Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, a 24-hour ultimatum to publish details of his alleged research on registration equipment.

Professor Gyampo in a recent Facebook post alleged that the distribution of equipment for the production of the Ghana Cards is skewed to favour the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and to the disadvantage of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“NIA respectfully challenges Prof. Gyampo to take out of the realm of conjecture his allegations and so-called research findings and conclusions, by publishing the relevant details of his research within the next 24 hours. This will permit an objective assessment of the nature, purpose, scope and method(s) of the research, as well as the facticity and soundness of his findings and conclusions,” the NIA responded in a statement issued on March 10, 2023.

The NIA in its statement stated that the allegations by Professor Gyampo without any evidential support amount to idle rumour-mongering.

The NIA described the comments by the Political Science lecturer as most scurrilous.

“This is a most scurrilous, astonishing and false allegation, and published by a professor of political science, it is all the more damning and concerning! The publication of this bare statement, without any evidentiary support, amounts to idle rumour-mongering. Such conduct is unbecoming of a professor who must, instead, manifest a commitment to sharing information that is sound and based on accessible and/or testable research. It is never sufficient to publish a bare allegation, simply because one has become aware of it, or dreamt of it! A person minded to publish such a conflict-laden allegation bears a duty of proof and circumspection,” the NIA added in its statement.

The NIA further indicated that it will not go by the advice from Professor Gyampo to accept his findings.

“Prof. Gyampo insists that his comments are grounded in research he has conducted, and he therefore advises NIA to humbly accept the findings and implications of his research and address the identified concerns. NIA has no reasonable basis to accept Prof. Gyampo’s claim,” the NIA pointed out.