Two of the 17 persons who submitted their presidential nomination forms to the Electoral Commission, have failed to qualify to contest in the December 7 general elections.
Thomas N. Ward Brew of the Democratic People’s Party and WO1 Richard Nixon Tetteh of the Unity Development System Party had by close of the 12:00 noon-deadline Monday, failed to submit a bank draft of GHC50,000 each to the EC.
With exception of the Progressive People’s Party, EC officials on September 29 and 30, declined to accept the filing fees which are a part of the requirements for the submission of the presidential nomination forms.
The EC’s decision was prompted by the pendency of an injunction application by the Progressive People’s to restrain the Commission from proceeding to receive the fees until the final determination of a suit challenging the legitimacy of the fees.
But the Accra High Court on October 7 dismissed the application, paving the way for the Commission to issue a directive to all the nominees who submitted their forms to pay the fees on Monday, October 10 by 12:00 pm.
Reasons for their inability to submit the forms is not yet known but it is being speculated Mr Brew, one of the people who criticised the EC for pegging the fees at a whopping GHC50,000, was unable to raise the amount.
“Given the state of affairs in the country, how? It’s not easy, the economic situation in particular. The 10,000 [previously charged] for presidential is already high,” Mr Brew told TV3 on September 8.
Notwithstanding, Mr Ward Brew went ahead to pick nomination forms and submitted same to the EC together with 16 others but has since failed to fulfil the filing fee obligation; thus automatically disqualifying himself from contesting.
15 nominees cross GHC50K hurdle
At the close of the 12:00 noon-deadline by the EC, only 15 of the 17 nominees who filed their nomination forms had presented their bank draft of GHC50,000 each to the Commission, TV3’s Jonathan Adams reported.
They are Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP); Akwesi Addai Odike of the United People’s Party (UPP); Kwesi Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP); All People’s Congress (APC) represented by Hassan Ayariga; and Kofi Akpaloo of Independent People’s Party(IPP).
Others are John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC); Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP); Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) led by Akua Donkor; and Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) with Kwabena Adjei.
The rest are Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom’s Progressive People’s Party (PPP); Dr. Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP); Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP); People’s National Convention (PNC) with Dr. Edward Mahama and two independent candidates, Jacob Osei Yeboah and Kwame Asiedu.
Our correspondent reports that the EC chair, Ms Charlotte Osei is scheduled to address a news conference on the process.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana