A number of disqualified presidential candidates have expressed their disappointment with the Electoral Commission (EC) for not providing a level playing field for the conduct of the December 7 polls.
The disqualified presidential aspirants are Mr Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress (APC),Mr Kofi Apaloo of the Independent People’s Party (IPP) and Mr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP).
According to them they satisfied all the conditions of the EC and could not understand why they were disqualified, since the EC did not give reasons for their disqualification.
While others expressed surprise and were ready to go to court, others said for the sake of the peace of the country they would not resort to the courts, since that would mean postponing the elections, until the court disputes were settled.
Peace of the country
Mr Agyenim Boateng, aka Gyataba, said he would not go to court to place injunction on the December 7 elections since that would disturb the peace of the country.
However, he has called on the EC to give reasons for his disqualification, since all the four signatories the EC complained to have signed for Apaloo had been changed and fresh signatures used to fill the nomination form after the Supreme Court ruling.
He said the EC congratulated them on having done a good homework and they, therefore, expected to hear from the EC to ballot for a position on the ballot paper.
He, therefore, expressed surprise that the EC decided to do the balloting for the positions on Wednesday instead of yesterday because of fear of court cases that a disqualified party could have brought against the EC.
I have the right
Mr Boateng said he had the right to send the EC to court, insisting that the EC should give the reasons for disqualifying him.
He accused the EC of discriminating against him and the UFP, since apart from the two main political parties, he was the only party that had spent over GHC2 million to put up offices in two-thirds of the districts in the country.
He added that the EC last October wrote to the political parties to put up offices in two-thirds of the districts in the country or risk their certificates of registration being withdrawn.
Political career
Mr Boateng said his disqualification as a presidential candidate had not brought his political career to an end, since he would still be campaigning for the six parliamentary candidates of the party.
Mr Hasan Ayariga, for his part, has threatened to go back to court, since his disqualification was based on a personal grudge the EC chairperson was harbouring against him for being outspoken against the EC.
Mr Ayariga described the EC chairperson as a tyrant, adding that if Ghanaians did not take care, the 2016 elections would be the worst the country had ever experienced.
Rule of law
He accused the EC chair of not having faith in the rule of law and due process, since she had up till now not given any reason for his disqualification.
He said he would go to court for the court to compel her to explain her behaviour and give reasons for disqualifying him, since he wanted the peace of the country to be consolidated, and to serve as a precedent for future generations.
He said since the APC had 65 parliamentary candidates across the country, his voice would not be missing when it came to political discourse because he would be campaigning for the parliamentary candidates, and that the EC could not stifle him.
I am not perturbed
For his part, Mr Akpaloo said he was not perturbed by the actions of the EC to disqualify him because it was predetermined by the EC chairperson who had made up her mind.
He said it was the will of God for every human being to face the ups and downs of life. Nonetheless he was surprised, since he had satisfied all the conditions on the nomination forms.
He said he had no problem with the subscribers as all the four who signed for him and signed for the UFP were replaced by the UFP’s presidential candidate and were free to sign for him.
Mr Akpaloo also said in his case, the EC did not give reasons for his disqualification. He, therefore, accused the EC of not being fair to him but rather being emotional in decisions to disqualify the small parties who she knew could not make the loudest noises.
Flag bearer of GCPP
For his part, Dr Henry Herbert Lartey, leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), said the requirements of C.1.94 sub-section 9 (2) was a draconian measure that had to be removed from the statute.
He asked what was the point of organising (a) election in 275 constituencies.(a) election for regional executives in all the 10 regions and (c) national congress for over 3,000 delegates only to be disqualified by the EC that it was unable to accept your nomination because the form did not meet C.1. 94 regulation 9(2)
Dr Lartey said in the UK, once you were elected as a leader of a political party you automatically qualified to become a Prime Minister should you win the election
‘’You don’t even need to fill nomination forms to qualify,” he added.
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