Nana Konadu's NDP petitions EC over disqualification
The National Democratic Party (NDP) has served the Electoral Commission (EC) a 24-hour ultimatum to instate its flagbearer, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and running mate, Mr Kodjo Mensah Sosuh on the list of presidential candidates for the 2016 elections or face legal actions.
The EC on Monday disqualified Mrs Rawlings on the premises that one of her endorsers was a voter who had been banned for the offence of multiple voter registration. Another reason for her disqualification, according to the EC, was because she failed to provide the required number of people who needed to endorse her.
But in a petition to the EC Chair, the party’s lawyer, Ace Anan Ankomah, said the party was not aware that the said endorser, Salifu Abdulai had been tried and convicted for the offence and thus if so, the EC should provide an evidence of his conviction.
The party in its petition also accused the EC of failing to abide by Regulation 9 of the Public Elections Regulations Act, 2016 (CI94) that demands the EC to give an affected candidate an opportunity to make amendments and any alterations necessary with regards to his or her nomination forms.
“Clearly, you are mandatorily required by your own regulation to, first, inform our clients about this development and then give them an opportunity to make any required changes before nominations closed. Respectfully, you cannot wait for several days after statutory period for making the necessary changes has expired, before announcing that you are unable to accept nominations forms presented to and received by you. Also, your decision was required to have been taken (and obviously communicated to affected persons) within seven (7) days. Yet you waited for ten (10) days after nominations closed before issuing the Press Statement under reference,” the petition said.