Story: Abdul Aziz & Donald Ato Dapatem1
EIGHT aspirants have filed their nominations to contest the December 7 presidential poll after a two-day process at the Electoral Commission (EC).
However, this is conditional to the EC not finding any discrepancies in the documents submitted by the aspirants.
After the first day’s exercise last Thursday, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Prof. John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) were pronounced candidates by the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.
On the second and last day yesterday, Dr Edward Mahama of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah, an independent aspirant, Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) and Mr T.N. Ward-Brew of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) all filed with the EC.
Three others, comprising Prophet Daniel Nkansah of the New Vision Party (NVP), Mr Dan Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and W0 1 Robert Nixon Tetteh, an independent aspirant, who appeared confident when they arrived in the company of their supporters, were disqualified for failure to meet the EC’s deadline.
All the three were at the EC headquarters, but when the EC chairman went through their documents, it was realised that they had not satisfactorily completed the nomination forms and so they were asked to complete them.
As of 5.45 p.m. when the EC had closed, all three of them were seen with their supporters running past all those who had finished the process and the media towards the empty EC boardroom where the filing took place.
Mr Lartey, who was last to go through the process, appealed to the EC to give him one hour because his men who had gone round the regions had returned but that they had been caught in traffic.
However, when his men arrived with the nomination forms, they had numerous gaps unfilled, while the filled places were either signed without names and voters registration numbers or had names and voters registration numbers but without signatures.
“Whatever it is, I have the GH¢5,000. I want to present it to you, Mr Chairman, to show that we are capable, while we wait for my general secretary and the national chairman who have been caught in traffic to arrive,” he said, amidst laughter from the media men around.
Mr Lartey, who sounded confident at the beginning of the proceedings, assured the EC that since he had gone through the process before and knew the basis, his men were coming with well completed forms.
No sooner had he finished his speech than his executives trooped in with the four sets of nominations, but most people in the room were taken by surprise when the EC chairman said the forms had not been satisfactorily completed.
Prophet Nkansah, who went in with his running mate, Omran Hussien Zakariah, had most parts of the forms filled but instead of allowing those who could not read and write to thumbprint or sign, one person decided to sign them on behalf of all of them.
W0 Tetteh, who arrived earlier, said he did not know that he had to submit his bust-size photograph to be used on the ballot, as well as a statutory declaration, while most of the forms he collected had been left at home.
All the three had cheques for GH¢5,000 as their nomination fees but they had to go home with them.
Dr Mahama initially had a problem with the statutory declaration of his running mate because the form had been filled by him (Dr Mahama). But he was given the opportunity to rectify it before the close of day.
For his part, the DFP candidate had to abandon the process in the morning because he had no bust-size photographs, while his statutory declaration form had not been signed by a magistrate or a commissioner of oaths. He went back in the afternoon and completed the process.
After a successful completion of the process, Mr Ward-Brew, who could not make it in 2004, said when voted into power, the first thing his government would do would be to abolish the nomination fees required by the EC.
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