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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Ace Ankomah the best lawyer in Ghana currently, please deal with the EC and their NDC gangs.
Go Ace, i am glad you have taken this case up, Charlotte Osei need legal lessons.
get some common sense for yourself cos Mahama is continueing. You and cohort are daydreaming. It would be to you like a rupture
Name: Mieza You guys don't get it. We all want sanity in our body politics but this must be achieve through due process and not by the whims and caprices of the EC boss. I detest the publicity given to the likes of Akua Donkor and Ayaricough but we live in a country ruled by law not by men ( or in this case a woman). From what has transpired, all that it is required to DISQUALIFY a major candidate in future is to influence a subscriber who has signed for say NPP and make him/her sign for another smaller party nominee and then that major party candidate will be disqualified. Let's prune the nominees but it must be fairly done. The reasons assigned for the disqualifications of Mrs Rawlings and Dr Nduom do not hold water and must be condemned by all who respect the rule of law. An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. #MahamaTwaso#
Ace, u r delaying too much. Proceed to go Court with u and ur Client, Nana Konadu Rawlings. Do u think u r above the Laws of Ghana.
Ace you should have inspected her forms b4 allowing her to submit...now you see..??
so now the so called ace lawyers are going to support this...money money money.
its a lost battle let it go.
Who is he? Ace and so? We thought they were neutral people not knowing there were promoting some of their members to file to contest as PCs. You'll receive your humiliation.
let the legal battle begin.ghana dey sweet papa