Akua Donkor’s Party Disqualified from contesting in the Upcoming 2024 Presidential Elections

 

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa at an emergency Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting disclosed the disqualification on Tuesday morning November 12, 2024.

A decision that would allow the EC to proceed with printing of ballot papers which came to a halt after the initial candidate and founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Madam Akua Donkor was reported dead suddenly.

Jean Mensa explained that, the replacement flagbearer for the party, Philip Appiah Kubi (formely running mate and vice-presidential candidate of the GFP ) could not meet the requirements of the EC and therefore was disqualified after several irregularities were allegedly discovered in his nomination documents.

The chairperson further went on to state that the disqualification followed a careful review of the party’s submissions to the EC although the EC had given the party notice and a chance to rectify the illegalities, the party and the new nominee failed to meet the demands of the committee and the nation’s electoral laws.

Thus, the printing of the ballots shall continue with no changes made to the positions or details of any of the candidates and parties on the presidential ballot as a large percentage of the ballot papers has been printed already except that votes for the party would be counted as invalid.

However, some members of the party argue that, the party was hit with a shock and thus the replacement as well as the party should have been given enough time to deal with the filing of a new nomination and the submission of documents as it is possible for the party to miss out on the necessitated procedures due to the hurried manner in which things were handled.

The GFP was hit by an unfortunate and sudden death of the flag bearer and founder after which the EC asked the party to nominate a replacement within a 10-day stated period.

The EC Chair on the other hand elucidated that the EC is bound by its obligations to ensure electoral integrity, and henceforth could not accept documents with essential legal issues which continue to persist despite the GFP’s efforts to correct them.  

In regards to numerous headlines and discussions which suggest an amount of tension and pressure within the media and the public, the electoral commission continues to assure the public of the Commission’s commitment to ensure a transparent and lawful electoral process, underscoring that adherence to these principles is crucial to maintaining public trust.

With just 25 days to the general elections, various stakeholders and the political parties are bent on scrutinizing the decisions of the electoral commission as they monitor and evaluate the processes in the build up to the elections.