The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has appealed to voters throughout Ghana to refuse any request by any individual or group of persons to submit their voters� ID cards in exchange for employment in the public service or whatsoever.
NPP, in a press statement signed by its Communications Director, Nana Akomea, stressed, �In the absence of any tangible explanation, the NPP urges voters to refuse any request from any quarters to submit their Voters� ID cards.�
According to the statement, �The NPP strongly advises voters that they may be disenfranchised or lose the right to vote if they give out their ID cards.�
The appeal comes in the wake of reports making the rounds that the citizenry are being asked to present their voters� ID cards in return for certain promised services by some groups of persons, probably from government quarters.
The statement claimed, �Reports coming in from many parts of Ghana indicate that many Ghanaians are being asked to present their Voters� ID cards in return for all kinds of promised services.�
The NPP underscored, �The reports indicate that those being asked to produce their voters� cards include unpaid nurses in the Ashanti Region, who are being asked to produce their cards to facilitate the payments.�
It also noted that �Farmers in the Ashanti, Eastern and Western Regions are being requested to submit their voters� ID cards before being registered for fertilizer allocation; market women being promised loans only when they submit their voters� I.D cards; voters in Cape Coast being asked to submit their cards for safe keeping in other to secure their re-registration.�
According to the NPP, �In many cases, especially in Accra, reports indicate that people are offered GH�50 in return for submitting their ID cards.�
It continued, �In all these reported instances, information on the voters� ID cards is copied or the cards are not returned at all.�
The opposition party expressed doubt about the motive behind the whole exercise saying, �The NPP is at a loss as to why voters� ID cards of innocent Ghanaians are demanded before a public service is rendered to them,�
It indicated that �In many of these reports, a temporary makeshift office is erected under a tree for the purpose of receiving the voters� ID cards.�
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