The disqualification of 13 flag bearers from contesting in the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections is a clarion call on all political parties in Ghana to pay maximum attention to detail on forms they fill in order to avert embarrassment, Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Ghana, has said.
The Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified the flag bearers based on infractions, irregularities, and illegalities on their nomination forms.
Addressing a press conference on Monday October 9 in Accra, Mrs Charlotte Osei, Chair of the EC, said there were issues of forgery, perjury, impersonation, and deceit of public officer on the nomination forms of the disqualified flag bearers including that of Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the PPP, and added that the matter would be referred to the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney General for investigations and prosecution.
The other disqualified aspirants are Mr Hassan Ayariga of the APC, Dr Edward Mahama of the PNC, and Mr Kofi Apaloo of the IPP. The rest include Mr T.N. Ward Brew of the DPP, Mr Henry Lartey of the GCPP, Richard Tetteh of the USDP, Akua Donkor of the GFP, Nana Agyenim Boateng of the UFP and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the NDP. The remaining aspirants are Kwabena Agyei of the RPD and Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate. Only four presidential aspirants were cleared by the EC to contest in the presidential category.
Some of the parties have sued the EC in court over their disqualification, a situation Mr Cudjoe believes could derail the progress made so far towards the elections.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday October 25, he said: “I wonder how the Electoral Commission feels now with all these legal suits flying around. Some of us were worried that this election was going to be a referendum on the conduct of the Electoral Commission until the men and women at IMANI changed the troll with its manifesto work. Now that we have managed to get the political parties to focus and give us some small mercies on issues, the Electoral Commission has managed to start us all over again with needless attention. That said, political parties must also learn to do the right things and in time. Your inability to pay attention to minute details on your application forms could mean you may not pay attention to handling small amounts of money when in power.”
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
