The National Youth Coordinator of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Divine Nkrumah has taken a swipe at the Electoral Commissioner (EC), Mrs. Charlotte Osei.
He has described the first female commissioner as an indecisive and inconsistent person whose actions and inaction may create problems for the upcoming general polls.
According to him, the Commissioner per her action is making it difficult for Ghanaians to trust her to organise a free, fair, transparent and credible election on December 7, 2016.
Divine Nkrumah was making reference to the decision by the EC boss to accept their filing fee although, the party had retrain it from receiving the money until the court hears the substantive matter.
The EC refused to accept the filing fee of all the candidates that filed their nomination forms last week but accepted that of the PPP, the party that has filed a suit in court over the “exorbitant” fee.
Madam Charlotte Osei in her reason as to why the EC accepted the money from the PPP said, the Commission accepted the filing fee because they assumed the party was no longer interested pursuing the case in court.
“By presenting it; I thought they had withdrawn the case, that was the impression.”
Some have argued that the PPP tricked the EC knowing that they had sued the Commission on the matter. But Divine Nkrumah says the PPP did not trick the EC rather, they kept their draft in their nomination forms and after presenting it to the Commissioner, they realised that they have kept in the forms but the EC boss refused to hand it back to them.
The PPP has subsequently cited Madam Charlotte Osei for contempt. The suit follows the EC’s decision to accept the PPP’s filing fee last week, despite an interlocutory injunction secured by the latter. The PPP believes the decision by Charlotte Osei to accept its filing fee is unlawful.
A copy of the writ said “take notice that this Honourable court shall be moved by lawyers of the applicant, Yaw Amoah-Owusu , praying the Honourable court for an order of Committal of you Mrs Charlotte Ama Osei, Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Republic of Ghana, for defying the substance of the motion on Notice of an order pending before this Honourable court and on the basis of the Affidavit in support to this motion and for any orders the Honourable court may deem fit.”
Divine Nkrumah further debunked claims that the PPP could not pay the filing fee hence its decision to sue the EC adding that, “it is not about the money but it is about principle and the rule of law, the EC must work with. We want the EC boss to work with the laws and ensure the credibility of our electoral process.”
Clearly, going into this election, the EC boss has shown clearly that she is inconsistent and indecisive. She has also shown that, she is not firm, and with such an attitude, I’m not sure she will be able to run a credible election.
On one breadth, you accept the filing fee of other parties, on another breadth, you decline, are you serious?
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