EC clears Akufo-Addo, Mahama for another contest; five disqualified
The EC has cleared 12 people to run in the 7 December presidential election. The decision paves the way for the individuals to proceed with campaigning
Five individuals who hoped to run for the presidency in December have been disqualified from standing as presidential candidates in the 2020 elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) announced on Monday.
According to Jean Mensa, the EC chair, the five aspirants were disqualified in response to their filing of irregular applications which included forged signatures of party members endorsing the candidate.
The five individuals are:
- Kofi Koranteng
- Marricke Kofi Gane
- Akwasi Odike (United Progressive Party)
- Kwesi Busumburu (People’s National Party)
- Agyenim Boateng (United Front Party)
Mensa served notice that those whose difficulties stem from criminal acts such as forgery of signatures and manufacturing of sponsors will be forwarded to the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further examination.
However, Mrs Mensa said the GHC100,000 filing fee will be refunded to the said candidates in line with the rules surrounding the process.
Below is a list of the candidates for the 2020 presidential election as announced by the EC:
- Alfred Walker
- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
- Christian Kwabena Andrews
- Bridgette Dzobegnuku
- John Dramani Mahama
- Akua Donkor
- Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings
- Hassan Ayariga
- Ivor Greenstreet
- Henry Herbert Lartey
- Kofi Akpaloo
- David Apesera
Filing process in 2020
Mensa said, “To enhance and ensure a transparent, credible, fair, peaceful and yet accountable electoral process and election in 2020, the Commission continues to develop innovations to ensure that we carry citizens along in all our processes.
“This transparency was evident throughout the registration and exhibition exercises and indeed throughout the week-long nomination process. As a Commission, we intend to be open and transparent in all our processes and keep you our distinguished stakeholders informed in a timely manner as we inch towards December 2020.”
This year, the Electoral Commission made the nomination forms to aspiring presidential and parliamentary candidates available online. This helped ease the burden of travelling to the Commission to pick up the Forms and eliminated over-crowding at the Commission’s offices, thereby curbing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The EC also developed a detailed checklist that embodied the criteria to be satisfied by Presidential Candidates as prescribed by law. This template guided the scoring and awarding of marks by teams established by the Commission to review the nomination forms submitted.
The 7 December presidential election is a straight contest between incumbent President Akufo-Addo and the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, John Mahama.
This will be the first time a sitting president is being contested by a former leader.
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