Race for the Presidency...4 Aspirants get nod, 12 Disqualified, Odike awaits fate

The aspirations of 12 presidential hopefuls to ascend the Presidency of Ghana were yesterday dashed following their disqualification from contesting the 2016 presidential poll by the Electoral Commission (EC).

The Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, have, consequently, declared only four out of the 17 presidential aspirants  eligible to contest the presidential poll.

They are Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an independent candidate.

The disqualified 12

The 12 disqualified aspirants are Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress (APC), Edward Nasigri Mahama of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Nana Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP), Kofi Apaloo of the Independent People’s Party (IPP), Kwabena Agyei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) and Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).

The rest are Richard Nixon Tetteh of the Unity Development System Party (UDSP), Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate, and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP).

Seventeen candidates had filed their nominations to contest the 2016 presidential poll at the end of the filing of nominations by the EC on September 30, 2016.

The 12 aspirants were disqualified by the EC for various infractions regarding the processing of their nomination forms.

Four of them had the same persons endorsing their nominations, contrary to the electoral laws.

Mrs Osei said the nomination forms of Kwasi Addai, also known as Odike, the 13th aspirant, could not be processed as a result of a suit filed by members of his party challenging his candidature.

She expressed the hope that it would be decided by October 14, 2016, after which the EC would not be able to process his documents.

The EC provided adequate information

Mrs Osei recounted that the commission had provided adequate information for the various aspirants regarding the need to properly fill out their forms and had also sent out a reminder prior to the end of the period for the filing of nominations.

She said if the aspirants had filed their nominations earlier, the anomalies that led to their disqualification would have been noticed and their attention drawn to them for the necessary corrections to be made.

However, a good number of them waited till the last moment for the closure of nominations, following which nothing could be done. 

Particulars of offences

For Ayariga, the EC Chairperson said he failed to provide evidence of his home town or the constituency where he resided.

Also, two of those who endorsed his candidature also endorsed the candidature of two other aspirants and provided different signatures on those different occasions.

Mrs Osei said the two persons would be referred to the police and the Attorney-General for investigation and prosecution for making false declarations in an attempt to deceive a public office.

Edward Mahama

In the case of Dr Mahama of the PNC, the EC said many of the people who endorsed his candidature failed to properly sign the forms.

Also, in places where there should have been thumbprints, they were largely omitted, with some only ticking the portions where they should have signed.

Also, it was found that two of the subscribers had also endorsed Ayariga’s candidature.

Nana Agyenim Boateng

Nana Agyenim Boateng, according to the EC, failed to provide the required number of endorsements.

It was also detected that two of the persons who endorsed his candidature had done same for another aspirant but had used different signatures but the same details.

It said they would be referred to the police and the Attorney-General for investigation and prosecution.

Kofi Apaloo

Three of the people who endorsed Mr Apaloo’s candidature also endorsed that of Nana Agyenim Boateng.

The three were said to have used different signatures, for which reason they would be referred to the relevant agencies for investigation and prosecution.

Kwabena Agyei

 Kwabena Agyei failed to meet the required number of persons who should have endorsed his candidature.

Also, it was found out that two persons who endorsed his candidature had been excluded from the voters register for multiple registration in the past.

Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom

For Dr Nduom, the EC said he had failed to provide the required number of endorsements to see his nomination through.

Again, the EC said, one Richard Aseda who endorsed Dr Nduom did double endorsement, first in the Central Region and then in the Volta Region.

Dr Henry Lartey

 Dr Lartey was also disqualified on the basis of not providing the required number of endorsements.

Also, he left some aspects of the nomination forms blank and failed to provide information on his running mate.

Richard Nixon Tetteh

For Nixon Tetteh, he failed to pay his filing fee.

It was also found out that the voter identification and the polling station numbers that were provided by some of the people who endorsed him were non-existent.

Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings

Apart from failing to provide the required number of people who should endorse her candidature, Nana Konadu also had her forms endorsed by a voter who had been banned for the offence of multiple voter registration.

Thomas Ward Brew

In the case of Ward Brew, the EC said his forms were not properly filled.

Also, he failed to sign the statutory declaration form and failed to pay the filing fee.

Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker

For Walker, an independent aspirant, his disqualification was based on the fact that his forms were not properly filled, as there were many mistakes.

He also failed to provide details of his running mate and the voter identification and the polling station numbers of those who endorsed his candidature were also not provided.

Akua Donkor

 Madam Donkor failed to properly fill her forms and did not provide adequate information on her running mate.

More so, the EC found out that her running mate had given her date of birth as October 15, 1998, in addition to the fact that Madam Donkor provided three different signatures on the forms.