General News of Friday, 14 October 2016

Source: starrfmonline.com

'Stubborn' EC will plunge Ghana into chaos - PPP

PPP Policy Advisor, Kofi Asamoah Siaw play videoPPP Policy Advisor, Kofi Asamoah Siaw

The Electoral Commission (EC) is losing focus and if care is not taken it will plunge the country into chaos, warns the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).

According to the party, the current commissioners running the country’s election management body are “vindictive” and bent on jeopardizing the peace the country has been enjoying since the return to multiparty democracy.

In view of this, the PPP is calling on the office of the National Chief Imam, the Christian Council of Ghana, the National Peace Council and the Ghana Bar Association to intervene before it was too late, as it is “out of control and could plunge this country into chaos.”




The Electoral Commission on Monday 10 October announced the disqualification of the PPP’s presidential nominee, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom and eleven others from contesting the December 7 presidential elections.

The commission explained that it was unable to accept the nominations of Nduom because the number of subscribers in his presidential nomination forms did not make the requirements of regulation 7(2) of CI 94 and that “one subscriber, Mr Richard Aseda, with voter ID number 7812003957 endorsed Dr Nduom’s forms in the Central region and again endorsed the same forms with the same ID number in the Volta region.”

Following his disqualification, Nduom held a press Tuesday 11 October where he requested a five-minute session with the chair of the commission, Charlotte Osei with the hope of addressing what he said were mere “administrative” and “clerical” errors with his nomination forms.

On Wednesday 12 October, he did meet with Mrs Osei as requested but was told that the commission’s position was unchangeable. The position of the commission, according to Kofi Asamoah Siaw, the PPP’s Policy adviser is unfortunate and a threat to multiparty democracy.

Addressing a press conference Friday, in reaction to the disqualification of Nduom, he said the EC needs refocusing and that its recent pugnacious posture is dangerous.

“Their entrenched and belligerent posture will only lead this country to the point of no return,” he warned.