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Moments after presenting his nomination to contest the presidential elections on Tuesday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to deliver a free and fair election on December 7 of this year.
“Elections should not be decided by you or by the officials who work here. You are the referees of the contest ”, he told the CE.
President Akufo-Addo, who is seeking re-election on the New Patriotic Party (PNP) ballot, declared: “I am not interested in distorted results and I do not want to be a president elected by deception.”
Presentation of candidatures
The filling of nomination forms for candidates for president and parliamentarian was officially inaugurated by the EC last Monday, October 5, with a duration of five days.
No applicants showed up on the first day of the exercise, but the second day saw intense activity; in addition to President Akufo-Addo, two others, an independent presidential hopeful, Mr. Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, and the standard-bearer of the Ghana Trade Union Movement (GUM), Rev. Christian Kwabena Andrew. he also submitted his nomination forms.
Trust
President Akufo-Addo, who ousted incumbent John Dramani Mahama in a historic victory in the 2016 elections, said it is refreshing that the EC has given considerable confidence to the majority of Ghanaians ahead of the elections.
“In you [ EC] and the leadership of our country, there are people committed to a free, fair, credible and transparent process. We hope it marks the realization of the December 7 elections, ”he said.
Choice
In the company of his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and some prominent members of the PNP and the government, the president, wearing an African print long-sleeved shirt over a pair of black pants, said: “Yes indeed, by the grace of Almighty God, I am again the choice of the people of Ghana, it will be one that will be demonstrated freely and openly. “
She presented to the EC President, Ms. Jean Mensa, who is the Return Officer for the December 7 presidential elections, her filing fee of ¢ 100,000 GH and other relevant documents and statements.
He said the Ghanaians were counting on the CE to be the referee holding the balance evenly for all contenders.
Scene
At 8 am yesterday morning, dozens of PNP supporters, with posters indicating the campaign messages, achievements and promises of the party’s manifesto, were around the EC facilities.
There was a strong security presence at the EC facilities.
In the EC conference room, known as the IPAC Room, where the forms were received, a large number of reporters had occupied almost half of the room, awaiting the arrival of the President.
Around 11 am, President Akufo-Addo, in the company of Dr. Bawumia, who was also wearing a white coat, entered the IPAC Room.
Request to EC
The president asked EC officials to ensure that they complete the background check of the documents yesterday, so that his two supporters, who would attach their signatures to the documents, could also complete the process.
He explained that he would be out of the Greater Accra region for about a week and therefore wanted the process to proceed quickly.
Government and PNP officials in the IPAC room included the Chief of Staff of the Presidency, Ms. Frema Osei Opare; the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta; the National President of the PNP, Mr. Freddie Blay; the secretary general, John Boadu; the National Organizer, Mr. Sammy Awuku, and the PNP Campaign Manager, Mr. Peter Mac-Manu.
EC President euphoric
Welcoming the NPP team, Ms. Mensa referred to the Bible and said, “This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
He said that without the submission of nominations, the EC could not conduct the surveys.
To ensure a transparent and accountable process, he said, the EC had developed a checklist that would be used by two teams of officials to verify applicants and review them.
The first team, he explained, was the technical team that would ensure that presidential candidates met the criteria established in the law, namely: candidates must be at least 40 years of age, have all tax obligations settled and have career partners.
She said the second team was the Information Technology (IT) team tasked with the responsibility of scrutinizing all the voter identification of the candidates and their supporters to see if they were indeed registered voters.
Warranty
Later, speaking to the media, Ms. Mensa assured political parties and presidential hopefuls that the EC would ensure a fair evaluation of the nomination forms that would be submitted to ensure the credibility of the electoral process.
He said that to ensure a transparent, credible, fair and accountable process, the commission had drawn up a detailed checklist incorporating the criteria that presidential hopefuls must meet, as prescribed by law.
“The template will guide the scoring and awarding of ratings by teams established by the commission to examine and review each of the nomination forms submitted,” he said.
In addition, he said, “we are confident that the five-day period provided for the presentation process, as opposed to the two days provided in the previous nomination process, will allow presidential candidates to have enough time to correct any errors identified in their forms ”. .
Requirements
The nomination forms should contain important personal data about the applicants that allow the CE to ensure that they meet the qualification criteria according to the laws of the country.
To be eligible for the presidency, a person must be a citizen of Ghana by birth, a registered voter, at least 40 years old, and qualified to participate in elections to Parliament.
The applicant must have paid all applicable taxes or have made satisfactory arrangements with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to pay such taxes.
However, despite meeting such criteria, a person cannot be a presidential candidate if, among other things, they owe allegiance to a country other than Ghana or have been adjudicated or declared bankrupt under any applicable law in Ghana and have not been fired, are not in their right mind, or have been arrested as a criminal lunatic under any applicable Ghanaian law, or have been convicted of treason or a crime involving state security, fraud, dishonesty or moral depravity .
Additionally, an applicant must swear a legal statement attesting to their eligibility to run for office and the accuracy of the details provided on the nomination forms.
Consequently, false statements made on the nomination forms have legal consequences.
In addition, there must be four photographs, according to the dimensions and specifications of the law, and the payment of a filing fee, as determined by the EC.
Following the submission of the forms by the applicants, the EC is required by law to verify that the data provided in them is correct and that the forms have been duly signed by the required number of registered voters.
BUBBLE GUM
GUM flag bearer Rev. Andrew, who submitted his nomination forms in the company of his running mate, Alhaji Abu Grant Lukeman, around 3:30 pm yesterday, encouraged the EC to be firm and lead the election process of according to the law.
Meanwhile, Madam Akua Donkor was seen at the EC headquarters a few minutes after 4 pm but did not submit her nomination forms, as planned.
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