The National Democratic Party (NDP) has through its lawyers given the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) 24 hours to rescind her purported disqualification, and instate the names of the party’s presidential candidate and running mate on the list of candidates for the 2016 Presidential elections.
Lawyers for the former First Lady say the failure of the EC to meet the demands stated above will result in the instituting of legal proceedings against the electoral management body.
Leader of the Party Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings is among twelve-plus-one candidates disqualified by the Commission on various grounds including irregularities and forgery of nomination forms.
It will be the second time the wife of Ghana’s longest serving head of state is being disqualified from standing elections after her forms were rejected in 2012 ahead of that year’s elections.
The forms of NDP’s flagbearer were disqualified by the Commission this time around because one of the subscribers by name Salifu Abdulai, according to Chair Charlotte Osei, had signed as a resident of two districts in the Volta Region and the Central Region.
According to Madam Charlotte Osei, “The Commission is unable to accept Mrs. Rawlings’ nomination because the number of subscribers to her forms did not meet the requirements of Regulation 7 (2) (b) of CI 94. One subscriber on page 89 of her nomination forms is not a validly registered voter, and illegally registered twice and so is on the Exclusion list of multiple voters. Details are Salifu Abdulai District: Nanumba South, Voter ID no: 6617004814 (28.3.2012), Voter ID no: 2126900022 (04.8.2014).” (click to read more)
In a letter to the EC - a copy of which is in the possession of PEACEFMONLINE.COM, - issued through renowned legal practitioner, Ace Ankomah of Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, the former First Lady said she disagrees with the EC's reason for her disqualification.
"Our clients disagree with you and state that you have no power to proceed in this manner. This is because although section 27 of the Representation of the People Act, 1992 (PNDCL 284) provides that a person who registers twice may be disqualified from voting, there must have been a conviction for the offence, and then a term of imprisonment imposed before a disqualification can take effect. The relevant parts of section 27 provide specifically as follows:
Registration offences
"A person who… having applied to have that person’s name included in a divisional register, without withdrawing the application, applies to have the name included in another divisional register…commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or both the fine and the imprisonment, and is disqualified for a period of five years from the date of the expiration of the term of imprisonment, from being registered as a voter or voting at an election (Emphasis added)," portions of the letter read.
Click here to read copy of the letter sent to the EC by NDP's lawyers.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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christ my God ,,only a brutal civil war will cure this inbecile,waterly droping mouth lawyer from disrespecting us.During the election petition ,,this guy was all around with Dr maurice Ampaw supporting nana addo to make the supreme court cancell 4m ewe,,northern,,carefully selected zongo votes,,and today he is crying for a bitch,,
What has bloody got to do with people expressing their desire for change? People like you, the least said the better
Come again. Who is hot? EC or Ace? Ace has taken a contract from Agyemang Rawlings to see to the reversal of EC's decision within 24 hrs. How can EC be hot. It is Ace who is hot trying to meet his deadline.
LAW IS NOT ABOUT BRAVADO OR RAMBOISM. ITS FACTS ,FIGURES AND WHAT YOU CAN PROVE. and shouting on the roof top....i will go to court, i will go to court, does not win a case. YA BR3 NI NS3M HUNU WOR GHANA. TOO MANY RADIO LAWYERS.
NPP guys have started something which will hurt them at the end. They have told their supporters to follow JM and his vice with Change signs and slogan. I will warn them to stop because if NDC start it will be nothing but bloody. NPP leaders should warn their supportess to desist from such nossssssssensssse. JM TOASO
does Ace Ankomah understand the need for signature, did Ace and his NPP guys red the EC reason for disqualifying Maame GYATA Konadu very well?. they are eliminated they can go to hell.
ANKOMA CAN GO TO HELL. JUST MAKING NOISE. MORRIS MADE A ***barred word*** OF HIMSELF ABOUT MONTIE THREE ISSUE. DARE THE BRILLIANT WOMAN CALLED CHARLOTTE AND HER TEAM AND YOU WILL JUST BE A PAIN IN THE ***barred word*** AND NOTHING ELSE.
I am beginning to believe that the EC has not expunged names of those who have registered twice from the voter's register as directed by the courts. If they had done that, some of these problems will not arise. Again, some of these parties should blame themselves. When NPP was making sure that the EC do a good job, these other parties where criticizing the NPP. Now, so see how "wicked" and "incompetent" the EC is? NPP shine your eyes. The voter's register is still bloated. Don't trust madam Charlotte Osei and her cohorts. They are crooks, and bent to send the nation into the abyss come December if they are not properly checked. This is the time all civil societies and well-meaning of the country come together and stop the EC from playing the unfair cards.
What law did the EC follow to disqualify Dr. Nduom and Nana Konadu? Clerical errors! The same errors the EC used to declare Mahama president. For the others, they may not have much but the law can be tested.
The EC job is about being reasonably fair, building on consensu, manageable compromise in the interest of peace and fairness. Charlotte should take a second look at how she is going to build a convivial atmosphere with all stakeholders. Being slavishly fastidious to the electoral laws without seeing the difference between "intent" and "strict interpretation" may make the task unnecessarily stressful for her. She should try and look at some of her decisions again with the intention of consensus building.