Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has accused the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, of illegally disqualifying her from the 2016 presidential race and has demanded that her name be immediately put back on the list of nominees for the December 7 polls.
“I want my name back on the list that I am standing as the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and she [Chair of the Electoral Commission] has illegally removed my name from it,” Mrs Rawlings told the BBC’s Akwesi Sarpong in an interview on Wednesday, 12 October.
“She [Mrs Charlotte Osei] should do what is right and legal in this country,” she said, adding: “The Electoral Commission’s equipment and set up is bogus.”
Mrs Rawlings said the EC is to blame for her disqualification. “It is completely the Electoral Commission’s fault because the EC has violated section 9 of CI 94, which obligates her to actually ask us to come and check our forms if she finds anything wrong with it. If there’s an anomaly, it’s her responsibility to call us.”
Mrs Rawlings and 12 others were disqualified from the race over various anomalies. The other disqualified aspirants include the flag bearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga; Dr Edward Mahama of the People’s National Convention (PNC); Dr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP); Kofi Akpaloo of the Independent People’s Party (IPP); Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD); and Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).
The others include: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP); Mr Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party); Thomas Ward-Brew of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP); Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate, and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). Mr Akwasi Addae Odike of the United Progressive Party’s nomination is on hold pending a court case.
This is the second time Mrs Rawlings has been disqualified from the race. The first time was in 2012 by Mrs Osei predecessor Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan.
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