The Electoral Commission (EC) on Monday October 10 refused to take cash from the flag bearer of the Independent People’s Party (IPP), Kofi Akpaloo, as filing fee for 23 of his party’s parliamentary aspirants.
According to the EC, it was stated on paper that the method of paying the filing fees for both presidential and parliamentary nominees was by banker’s draft.
Unhappy with the EC’s refusal to take cash to enable 23 nominees of his party to contest in the 2016 elections as parliamentary candidates, Mr Akpaloo threatened to drag the EC to court.
“Ghana cedi is acceptable and legal tender to pay for all transactions in Ghana, so I don’t know why they are refusing to accept cash because it is not something that I created; it’s something that government has given us to pay for goods and services so am surprised that the EC as a government institution is refusing to accept something that belongs to the state,” he told Class News’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson in an interview.
“…I want to know if there is something wrong with cash. … You asked me to pay money and I’ve made myself available to pay and now you are insisting that I turn it into cheque. Cedis should be accepted in Ghana, this is not Lagos, not Abuja; this is Accra and cedis should be accepted by every institution in Ghana. I mean it is wrong for the EC not to have accepted the cedis,” he bemoaned.
“We have the money, the money is ready but they are not ready to accept the money,” Mr Akpaloo said and threatened to seek redress in court.
“We will go to court for the court to determine because we do not understand why the EC as a state institution should refuse to accept the cedi”. Mr Akpaloo questioned if refusal to accept the cash was constitutional. “Is it in our political party laws, is it in our constitution?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Mr Akpaloo submitted a banker's draft for GHS 50,000 to enable him contest as a presidential aspirant in the polls.
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