Nana Addo, Mahama file nominations

By Maxwell Ofori
[email protected]
The Electoral Commission (EC), yesterday, started a two-day exercise to enable the various presidential candidates who have picked their forms to contest this year's presidential election to file their nominations.

The filing of the nominations would help the EC to know how many of the presidential candidates are ready to go into the election, as 25 of them have so far picked their forms.

As early as 9:00 yesterday, officials of the EC sat to receive the nomination forms from the political parties' presidential candidates, as well as independent candidates, which will continue today at the same time. They ended the process at 17:00 GMT.

Political parties which were able to file their nomination as of yesterday included the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which the flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, flanked by his Campaign Manager, Mr. Peter Mac Manu, the Acting National Chairman, Mr. Freddie Blay, and the National Organiser, John Boadu, who doubles as the Acting General Sectary.

The United Progressive Party's (UPP) flagbearer, Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike, passed through to submit his forms, accompanied by some executive members of the party, while the United Front Party's (UFP) forms were submitted by Mr. Agyenim Boateng.

Hassan Ayariga, flagbearer of All People's Congress (APC), was not present to submit his forms, as his General Secretary, Razak Kojo Poku, told the press that his flagbearer was busy with an equally important assignment. The APC came to submit with the running mate, Mr. Emmanuel Karl Bartels, and other party bigwigs.

The Independent People's Party (IPP), led by Kofi Akpaloo, was also at the commission's conference room to file his nomination, followed by the National Development Party (NDP). Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of former President Jerry John Rawlings, came to submit her forms in her capacity as the leader of the NDP.

However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) surprised the media with the appearance of the Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, as there were expectations that the President, John Dramani Mahama, would come himself, because that was the information from within the higher ranks of the party.

Madam Akua Donkor, founder and leader of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), and Mr. Kwabena Adjei, founder and leader of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) were the last to submit their forms.

Interestingly, all the political parties, as well as the independent candidates who came to file their nominations were asked by the Chairperson of the EC, to take back a bankers draft with the sum of GH¢50,000, which was supposed to be the fee for filing as a presidential candidate.

The decision of Madam Charlotte, EC Chairperson, not to take the bankers draft, came on the heels of an injunction filed by the flagbearer of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), challenging the amount involved to contest for the presidency in this year's elections.

The Electoral Commission has suffered some backlash for some of the demands it is making from the presidential and the parliamentary candidates.

The GH¢50,000 and GH¢10,000 fees, which anyone seeking to contest for the presidency and member of parliament respectively must pay, was the first sound that woke the lion, with some people, including presidential and parliamentary aspirants, lambasting the Commission.

While some political parties like the NDC expressed satisfaction with the amount, others like the IPP, led by Mr. Kofi Akpaloo, felt the contrary, describing the fee as “illegal”.

Meanwhile, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom's Progressive People's Party (PPP) and Akwasi Addai Odike's United Progressive Party (UPP) are contesting the filing fees in court, having filed separate cases against the arbitrary increases by the EC.

The duo (PPP and UPP) have filed an interlocutory injunction against the EC's decision to charge GH¢50,000 and GH¢10,000 for presidential and parliamentary aspirants respectively, citing that the decision had a negative impact, especially, on the smaller parties.

But even before the dust could settle on the increase in the filing fees, the EC surfaced with yet another demand on Tuesday evening, asking presidential and parliamentary aspirants to declare their assets.

Failure to do so, the EC said, could lead to a possible disqualification.

That decision came only three days to the close of the filing of nominations on Friday, September 30.

Some have, therefore, expressed misgivings about the move, with others speculating that it is part of the EC's plans to deliberately disqualify some people from contesting in the upcoming general elections – be they presidential or parliamentary aspirants.

In an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, the EC Director of Communications, Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, said the commission would not compromise on the demand, because “there are legal requirements for going through to become a candidate. To the extent that you don't meet all the legal requirements, your guess is as good as mine. You have not fulfilled the legal requirement, so you may not go through.”