General News of Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Source: starrfmonline.com

Aggrieved candidates must go to court – Former EC director

Mr. Kwame Damoah Agyemang Mr. Kwame Damoah Agyemang

A former Chief Director of the Electoral Commission Damoah Agyemang has advised the aggrieved disqualified presidential candidates in the December polls to immediately go to court to test the basis for their disqualification.

The Electoral Commission on Monday announced the disqualification 12 of candidates including Dr. Nduom, Dr. Hassan Ayariga of APC, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the NDP, Dr. Edward Mahama of the PNC, Dr. Henry Lartey of the GCPP for failing to meet the nomination requirement for the Presidential contest.

Some of the reasons outlined by the EC that led to the disqualification of the aspirants are filing anomalies including fraudulent signatures, absence of a required number of signatures and improper filling of nomination forms.

Commenting on the matter, Mr Agyemang told Morning Starr host, Nii Arday Clegg, that the Commission is acting within the laws that govern its work.

“The right thing for them to do is to go to court. The EC is only the referee in this elections, and they are applying the laws so what the parties can do is to immediately go to court. They should go early, and the court can also give hearing early, and the EC will then present what evidence they have for taking the decision,” he said.

He said the Electoral Commission must not be faulted for applying the rules of the game especially as they gave some of the parties the window to correct their mistakes.