Two people have filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction to be placed on the National Identification Authority’s (NIA) ongoing Ghana Card registration exercise.

According to them, the exercise which is currently underway in the Eastern Region goes contrary to the announcement of a ban on public gatherings by the President.

President Akufo-Addo’s move on March 15, was to affect schools, and other institutions across after Ghana recorded cases of the deadly COVID-19 were imported into the jurisdiction.

Challenging the legitimacy of the process despite the president’s directive, the applicants, Kevor Mark-Oliver and Emmanuel Akumatey Okrah, want the court to “restrain the Respondents from continuing with the mass registration and issuance of the Ghana card in the Eastern Region pending the final determination of the Human Rights Application”.

The NIA is not the only respondent as the Attorney General is jointly sued.

Former Director of Communications under the Mahama-administration Dr Edward Omane Boamah had, in an earlier tweet, threatened legal action against the Authority as the coronavirus cases continue to rise.

President @NAkufoAddo suspend ongoing Ghanacard registration by NIA or I go to court to compel you to respect the rights of Ghanaians to good health.#CoronaVirusUpdate#coronavirus#CoronaVirusGhana pic.twitter.com/s36kIyVqfz

— Edward Omane Boamah (@eomaneboamah) March 19, 2020

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on March 18, also demanded an immediate suspension of the Ghana card registration in the region.

“In the interest of Public Health and Safety, the GMA calls on the National Identification Authority (NIA) to suspend with immediate effect the ongoing mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region.

"The mass registration exercise also defeats the spirit and letter of the directives (especially on mass gathering) issued by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana as part of the measures to combat the COVID-19 outbreak in the country,” a statement signed by its president Dr. Frank Ankobea said.

The plaintiffs gave credence to this call as adequate backing to convince the Accra High Court to grant the application for the interlocutory injunction in the writ filed on March 18, 2020.

The applicants feared the Ghana Card registration exercise will eventually cause disenfranchisement if the citizens are taken ill while forcing their way through the process as COVID-19 cases continue to ascend in the country.

 “If the registration for the Ghana card exercise is continued the applicants, as well as others who are scared of contracting the coronavirus, are likely to be disenfranchised since they would not be able to register for the new Voters ID card.”