The Electoral Commission of Ghana disqualifies 13 out of 17 presidential hopefuls, mostly based on errors from endorsers, and everyone is quiet because NDC and NPP are safe (as usual). Wow! What if the usual hadn’t happened?
I mean the four-faces thing looks good — just like the ideal Western-style ‘democracey’ ballot paper (which we don’t need anyway), but hey, we’re setting dangerous precedents which is recipe for chaos.
Earlier, (via Facebook) I asked three questions:
1. Would you have disqualified NDC if they had committed the same error committed by PNC?
2. Would you have disqualifed NPP for the same error PPP committed?
3. Could the EC have disqualifed all the parties if they had all committed the same errors PNC and PPP committed?
You and I know Charlotte Osei cannot give “yes” and “no” answers to any of the questions above. Clearly, and sincerely, she wouldn’t dare to give same treatment to all political parties and individuals. But it’s ‘normal’ because NDC and NPP were not affected. But the nation would have been in flames if any of the two parties had been among the 13.
The EC boss is on the wrong path, and she’s still being pampered and urged on because this thing sounds fair for both NDC and NPP at least for now. Their selfish ambitions haven’t been halted in any way and they care less.
It’s funny how we are trying very hard to get the classic American-style ballot paper — minus all the Deez Nuts, but EC’s elimination method is absurd, unfair, and… nuts!
I mean here are individuals and political parties that have worked with you in the past and continue to participate in your current programmes. You exist because of them. You have that job because of them. These are faces you know very well. They have participated in previous national elections and their operations are not alien to you. In fact, some even have parliamentary representation. How the hell can’t you cooperate with them in rectifying a few errors of signatories which obviously are not deliberate efforts by these parties? Why can’t you politely engage them for clarification and rectification before the disqualification? In fact, disqualification should be the last step for extreme cases of stubbornness and noncooperation on the part of the candidates (which is obviously not the case here).
In the past few months, these same political parties have engaged your services in conducting their own internal polls to elect their executives and candidates in the round up to the national election. Why can’t you sit with them and resolve this?
EC must stop acting like a bully — knocking ‘the smalls’. This this is a recipe for chaos.
*I have received a copy of the (18-page) official statement issued by Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission on the receipt of nominations for 2016 presidential elections and grounds for the disqualification of some candidates and (oh my God) this is ridiculous, and I think the EC is being unnecessarily petty. The reasons stated for disqualifying Nduom, Rawlings, et al. are just too ridiculous.
I don’t even want go into the signatures! Can’t these have been solved within hours through cooperation? Something is definitely wrong at the EC. Look: on page 5, they are disqualifying Hassan Ayariga because ‘information about his hometown is not clear’ when the same Electoral Commission okayed this man to be presidential candidate in the 2012 election ( just 4 years ago). What kind of people work at the Electoral Commission? Something is wrong.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.