The Coalition of Ghanaians Without Ghana Card (CGWiGC), an interventionist national advocacy group, has expressed concerns over the Electoral Commission's (EC) insistence on using only the Ghana Card for voter registration.

They believe that this stance raises suspicions of an ulterior motive to suppress the votes of certain Ghanaians.

The coalition firmly believes that no Ghanaian should be disenfranchised in any public election, and they call on the Electoral Commission to reconsider its position.

The Convener of the Coalition, Richard Kasu, emphasized these points during a press conference held on July 27, 2023. He stressed that no state institution should directly or indirectly exclude citizens from exercising their fundamental rights, including the right to vote, as enshrined in the 1992 constitution of Ghana.

To address these concerns on behalf of the Ghanaian people, the coalition proposed several crucial reviews that they believe the government, the Electoral Commission, and the National Identification Authority (NIA) should adopt.

Firstly, the coalition argues that considering the numerous challenges related to acquiring the Ghana Card, it should not be the sole document required for obtaining a voter registration card. Additionally, they call for an immediate halt to the premium registration exercise currently conducted by the NIA at a commercial cost of GHS280, as the economic challenges faced by Ghanaians are already burdensome.

The coalition urges the government and NIA to create provisions for Ghanaians to access Ghana card registration through a nationwide mass registration at various district levels, with further decentralization to electoral areas if possible.

Furthermore, they advocate for all-inclusive stakeholder discussions by the NIA to make its services more progressive, accessible, and affordable to all Ghanaians at all times.

Lastly, the group highlights that the 'Ghana Card' is not exclusively Ghanaian but rather should be appropriately called the ECOWAS Card, and therefore, it cannot be adopted as the national identity card of Ghanaians.

In summary, the Coalition of Ghanaians Without Ghana Card urges the relevant authorities to address these issues to ensure that the voting rights of all Ghanaians are upheld and protected.

“That having taken cognizance of the numerous challenges regarding the acquisition of the Ghana Card, it must not be made as the sole source document for the voter registration card. That the premium registration exercise ongoing by the NIA at a commercial value of GHS280 should be stopped immediately due to the already burdened harsh economic challenges faced by Ghanaians. That government, NIA should make provisions to enable Ghanaians access Ghana card registration through a nationwide mass registration at various district levels and further decentralized the registration to electoral areas if possible;

"That all-inclusive stakeholder discussions by NIA to make its services more progressive, accessible and affordable to all Ghanaians at all times; That the ‘Ghana Card’ is not wholly Ghanaian but appropriately called the ECOWAS Card hence cannot be adopted as the national identity card of Ghanaians,” the group stressed.