Kwaku Owusu Antwi, the elected presidential candidate, of the Kumasi-based United Front Party (UFP) on Monday, picked nomination forms from the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest the December 7, 2012, presidential election.

Akwasi Addae, aka Odike, another leader of the party, also picked his forms last Friday to contest the same position, but the party has disowned him, informing the EC that Odike was not standing on the ticket of the UFP.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the UFP and the Council of Elders as well as party faithfuls have already dismissed and disowned Mr. Addae at a recent meeting in Kumasi.

The executives have written to the EC to disqualify Odike, as he was not the party’s choice.

The party’s NEC has promised to ensure that the forms picked by Mr. Antwi were endorsed and returned to the EC within the stipulated time.

However, Mr. Addae who claimed to have spent about GH¢8 million on the party’s operations, has taken the party to the Kumasi High Court to seek compensation of what he described as wrongful dismissal.

The Chairman of the EC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan on Monday advised UFP’s NEC to follow the rules in presenting a candidate.

Nana Agyenim Boateng popularly called Gyataba, chairman of UFP, who led Mr. Antwi to the EC office to pick the forms, told DAILY GUIDE that Mr. Addae had already accepted his dismissal and now fighting for compensation.

However, the UFP chairman said Mr. Addae could only pick a form to contest the presidential election as an independent candidate and not in the name of the UFP.

“Even though he had picked the forms in the name of the party, he would not get a single member of the party to support him or endorse the form for him.”

According to him Mr. Addae has not only been dismissed from the party, but has also been disowned; a position he has accepted and never defied.

Giving reasons behind Mr. Addae’s dismissal, Gyataba told the paper that about 26 charges were preferred against him by the NEC: “Some of the charges are that Mr. Addae failed to present his vision to the party and failed to recognize the efforts of the executives. He also failed to honour agreement made between him and the party by unconstitutionally nominating somebody as a running mate without consulting the NEC.

“He had been using the party’s name to solicit funds for his personal upkeep and had never used his position to advance the course of the party,” he said.

Mr. Antwi in an interview urged all members of the party to remain calm as they addressed the challenges.

He stressed that the party would soon launch its campaign and manifesto and name its running mate.

The UFP’s candidate told the paper that when voted into power the party would run a presidency of accountability and transparency and not follow the current system where political parties always justified errors and adopted blame game as policies.