Presidential Candidate for the All People’s Congress (APC) Hassan Ayariga has highlighted his notable observations in the dispensation of the Electoral Commission’s mandate in the ongoing electoral process.

Striking a comparison between the Jean Mensa-led EC and the erstwhile Charlotte Osei-led administration, he noted that there has been an appreciable improvement in the level of flexibility with which the EC operates.

Mr Ayariga who in November 2016 was disqualified by the Charlotte Osei-led EC from partaking in the presidential race said he was hopeful that the leadership exhibited by Jean Mensa and her team would continue.

While assessing the differences in both administrations, he insisted that large-scale disqualifications that characterized the electoral process some four years ago did not have any technical backing.

He noted, however, that; “2016 was a different kind of leadership as compared to 2020. As you are aware 2016 was under the leadership of Madam Charlotte Osei, this year it is Madam Jean Mensa and both come with different leadership and we pray that Madam Jean Mensa will do a good job much better than what we saw in 2016…”

The APC leader also argued that whereas the communication in this administration is commendable, nothing of that sought existed in the erstwhile administration.

Mr Ayariga further added that “the disqualifications in 2016 were not technical knock-outs, some of us believe they were personal knock-outs. Today, we have submitted our documents to file, the Commission has clearly told us that if we have issues, they’ll call us to come back and rectify. In 2016 it wasn’t like that…”

Hassan Ayariga made these remarks after filing his nomination on Thursday, October 8, 2020, at the EC headquarters in Accra.

The APC presidential candidate together with 12 others was disqualified from contesting in the presidential elections in December 2016 for failing to meet set criteria in CI 94.