EC disqualification of presidential candidate unlawful, arbitrary and premeditated – PPP
The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) says that the disqualification of its presidential candidate by the Electoral Commission (EC) is “unlawful, arbitrary, and premeditated.”
According to the Party the disqualification of its candidate for the 2024 presidential elections has impacted the Party’s campaign nationwide.
Mr. Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, the flagbearer of the PPP, was among 11 presidential candidates who were disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) due to their failure to correct errors in their nomination forms.
The Party on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, filed a lawsuit to have its 2024 presidential race flagbearer reinstated.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Remy Paa Kow Edmundson, National Secretary, PPP, described the EC’s disqualification as “unlawful, arbitrary, and premeditated.”
He said the EC failed to grant the PPP “the right to be heard” to address the said errors identified in its presidential forms.
“The EC’s reason (for disqualification) was that they discovered errors and omissions which we failed to amend within the time frame provided.
“For us this is a complete lie. We had earlier refereed to the EC’s first letter to us and made those said corrections. In any case, the EC’s letters to us failed to particularise the nature of the said errors,” Mr Edmundson said.
The PPP stated that it could not effectively run its presidential campaign because the Court had yet to decide the fate of its flagbearer.
Mr Edmundson said the development had also affected the campaigns of the Party’s parliamentary aspirants across the country.
“We have 12 parliamentary candidates nationwide and the situation is also affecting their campaign. Some of the electorates are quite particular about the presidential candidate.
“The action of the EC has been quite injurious to us because it appears we have been careless which is not the case,” he said.
In 2016, the PPP’s presidential candidate, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom was disqualified by the EC but was reinstated following successful legal action against the Commission.
The PPP asked its supporters to stay calm and hoped that the legal approach would lead to positive outcomes.
In a related development, Bernard Anbataayela Mornah, the candidate for the People’s National Convention (PNC), has filed a lawsuit against the EC due to his disqualification from the upcoming December presidential election.
Mr. Mornah argued that his disqualification was a breach of his rights, illegal, and failed to comply with due process requirements imposed by law.
Source: GNA