Get registered, it is the starting point in our quest to bring about real change in our country – Mahama

John Dramani Mahama, the candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party, has urged all eligible voters to take advantage of the Electoral Commission’s (EC) limited voter registration exercise to register to vote.

The NDC flagbearer urged eligible voters who turned 18 to register onto the voter roll in the upcoming special voter registration exercise, which is set to begin on September 12, 2023, as a starting point for having their voices heard on issues of governance.

“As young people, we hold immense power in our hands. The upcoming limited voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission is, therefore, an opportunity to start the process towards making your voices heard and shaping the future of Ghana. As a people, it is the starting point in our quest to bring about real change in our country,” Mr Mahama noted in an address on Wednesday, 6 September 2023.

He urged the youth to vote responsibly in order to hold leaders accountable, which they can only do if and when they register as voters and are given the opportunity to take part in the selection of leaders.

“Registering and acquiring a voter ID card to vote in the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections is not just a basic civic duty”, Mahama stated.

“You and I are responsible for using our votes wisely, holding our leaders accountable, and demanding the change we desperately need. It is the surest way to secure our democracy.

But it won’t happen unless you get a voter ID card and back the NDC in the crucial election on December 7, 2024, Mr. Mahama added.

Read Mr Mahama’s full speech below:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, and thank you for joining me on this Facebook Live session.

I come before you, as the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress, to advocate for a cause, an upcoming exercise, that goes to the heart of our democracy – the limited voter registration exercise allows those who have become eligible to vote to place their names on the voters register.

It also allows for replacing lost voter ID cards and an opportunity to transfer your vote from where you currently have it to a new polling station.

In a nutshell, I am here to encourage you, wherever you are in Ghana or beyond, that if you do not have a voter ID card, especially if you have just turned 18, to take advantage of the exercise, which starts on September 12, 2023.

Start making the necessary arrangements to register and get your voter ID card.

My brothers and sisters, our young people, fellow countrymen and women, it is no secret that Ghana, our beloved country, is currently grappling with a severe economic crisis.

More than ever before, the lives of our people today are defined by a daily struggle to eke out a living.

We are seeing our daily cost of living skyrocket and job opportunities becoming more difficult by the day.

Our people – the youth, the elderly, drivers, market women, civil servants, security personnel, teachers, journalists, nurses, and doctors – are experiencing a sense of hopelessness on a scale never witnessed in recent memory.

This dire situation calls for urgent action, and the most powerful tool at our disposal is our right to vote.

President Akufo-Addo and his administration have failed to address the pressing economic

challenges they have exerted on the people of our country – misapplying our precious scarce resources and overspending on their creature comfort and largesse instead of building the critical infrastructure this country needs for job creation and development.

Their promises during their campaigns have yet to be fulfilled, leaving the ordinary Ghanaian burdened with the consequences of their incompetence, cluelessness, and shameless arrogance.

Today, some Ghanaians glorify and make excuses for corruption because the NPP has allowed it to permeate every facet of our society.

This must never be accepted as the norm. It hinders progress on many fronts, denying our youth opportunities that should have come their way if state resources were meaningfully applied.

Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to let this dire situation continue.

Registering and acquiring a voter ID card to vote in the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections is not just a basic civic duty.

As young people, we hold immense power in our hands.

The upcoming limited voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission is, therefore, an opportunity to start the

process towards making your voices heard and shaping the future of Ghana.

As a people, it is the starting point in our quest to bring about real change in our country.

You and I are responsible for using our votes wisely, holding our leaders accountable, and

demanding the change we desperately need. It is the surest way to secure our democracy.

Your vote in 2024 will symbolise your hope for a better Ghana, a determination to overcome the challenges we face, and your commitment to help build the Ghana We Want Together – a Ghana that guarantees you, your children, your siblings, and our unborn generation a brighter and sustainable future with well-paying jobs.

But that will only happen when you acquire a voter ID card and cast your vote for the NDC in that crucial election on December 7, 2024.

I wish to add my voice to those who have called on the EC to reconsider its decision to restrict the registration exercise to its district offices only.

Acquiring a voter ID affirms one’s right to vote, and access to a voter ID should be easy and not limited by location. Every Ghanaian deserves the chance to exercise their democratic right.

I strongly urge the Electoral Commission to facilitate the registration exercise in all electoral areas to allow for easy access and a reduced burden on the citizenry in their quest to register.

I challenge the Commission to be transparent with the processes preceding the start of the limited voter registration exercise, the replacement of voter ID cards, and the transfer of votes.

As has been requested in a formal letter to the Commission by the General Secretary of the NDC, we want to know when the names and pictures of the Registration Supervisors,

Registration Officers, Registration Assistants, and other officials for the exercises will be

published at the district level, as stipulated by the EC regulations.

We have also requested information on the exact number and distribution of workstations, registration kits, and other logistics.

It is also our recommendation that in line with Regulation 2(2b) of C.I. 91, as amended by C.I.

126, the Commission listens to calls for the extension of the exercise to take place in the

electoral areas and not be limited to the district offices of the Commission.

This will curb many inconveniences, including transportation, lack of money to move from distant locations, and access.

At this point, let me encourage my comrades in the NDC to put aside every other thing or

activity and let’s give our maximum attention and focus to the upcoming exercise.

Let me urge all my fellow citizens, especially the youth, to take this exercise seriously. It is your opportunity to hold your leaders accountable. It is about your rights; it is about your future!

It is about our dear nation, Ghana.

Let us join hands and work together towards Building the Ghana We Want.

Thank you, and may God bless us all.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com