Former First Lady and flagbearer of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, is still optimistic that the Electoral Commission (EC) will accede to her party’s demands and re-instate the NDP in the presidential race to enable her contest this year’s general elections.

The NDP flagbearer says should the courts rule in favour of the EC, the party’s Parliamentary aspirants still have the backing of the executives.

“Whether we are number 10 or 9 (on the ballot paper), it will surely happen,’ Mrs Rawlings said.

The NDP, an off-shot of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), was disqualified a couple of days ago after failing to meet the EC’s criteria for the submission of nomination forms. According to the EC, there were some anomalies in the forms submitted by the NDP.

But not happy with the EC’s action, the NDP said Nana Konadu’s disqualification violates the principles of democratic governance and thus filed an application at the Human Rights division of the High Court seeking an order of mandamus to force the EC to carry out its public duty to have their flag-bearer Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings registered as a presidential candidate for the December elections.

In her first live radio interview following her disqualification and subsequent filing of the suit, the former First Lady, who was on an official visit to PeaceFM, lamented her exclusion from this year’s list of presidential candidates to Nana Yaa Konadu during the station’s News@Midday.

“It’s unfortunate that my name was not included… our parliamentary candidates had a lot of problems and so we ended up concentrating much on them; to the extent that I forgot to fill mine...but I managed to complete it and gave it to the emissaries to submit…it’s unfortunate…we’ve taken the issue to court and so we are awaiting the court’s decision…we will abide by it because I am a law abiding person”

According to her, the NDP has 170 parliamentary aspirants contesting in the upcoming December polls, and stressed that if the worst happens and the EC remains adamant by excluding her, she will render her unflinching support to the parliamentary candidates.

“NDP is a registered entity and we have about 170 parliamentary candidates in the various constituencies and so the NDP is a formidable party...They are working seriously in the constituencies; and all we need is for the Presidential slot to go through…,” she noted.