EC disqualifies GFP presidential candidate - Printing of ballot papers resumes

The Electoral Commission (EC) has disqualified Ghana Freedom Party’s (GFP's) substitute presidential candidate, Philip Appiah Kubi, popularly known as Roman Fadda, from contesting the 2024 presidential election.

The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, announced the commission’s decision at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) emergency meeting held in Accra Tuesday.

She said some illegalities were found in the nomination forms Mr Appiah Kubi presented to the EC on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

Decision

The decision follows the death of the party's substantive candidate, Akua Donkor, on October 29, 2024.

"We received notice of Madam Akua Donkor's passing and in accordance with Article 54 of the 1992 Constitution, provided the Ghana Freedom Party with a 10-day window to find a new candidate," Mrs Mensa explained.

The party presented Mr Appiah Kubi, formerly the vice-presidential candidate, as its new nominee.

However, she said upon reviewing Mr Appiah Kubi's nomination forms, the commission detected errors and illegalities. 

"Although the party was given the opportunity to correct these issues, the commission ultimately decided to disqualify Mr Appiah Kubi due to the severity of the errors.

Mrs Mensa emphasised that the commission did not permit political parties to correct illegalities on nomination forms.

"It is not within our discretion to allow parties to correct such errors," she stated.

She said the EC had duly informed the GFP and Mr Appiah Kubi of the disqualification and would maintain the presidential ballot as it was.

"With 90 per cent of the presidential ballots already printed, the commission will go ahead with the rest,”  she said, adding that the commission had previously requested printing houses to cease production until the issue was cleared.

Printing of ballots

The EC Chairperson said the commission would proceed with the printing of the presidential ballots for the upcoming election.

This decision, she said, would save the country millions of cedis and ensure timely completion of the printing of the presidential ballot papers.

"We are not here to change positions on the presidential ballot paper or re-ballot," Mrs Mensa emphasised.

"Our task is simple: to notify our 15 printing houses to proceed with the presidential ballot printing bearing the name and image of the Ghana Freedom Party," she said.

Mrs Mensa said the commission was of the view that public discussions and advertisements would discourage citizens from voting for the GFP and assured the public that the process would go ahead.

She said the EC had been working diligently to ensure a smooth electoral process, with the certified voters register for the December 2024 election expected to be ready in the first week of next month.

Reactions

The National Organiser of the GFP, Richard Botchway, said the party was satisfied with the decision of the EC and would wait after the final funeral rites of the founder and leader of the party, Ms Akua Donkor, and the election to determine the way forward for the party, saying that 2027 will be decision time.

He said he still stood by an earlier letter he submitted to the EC to inform the institution about the withdrawal of the party from contesting the 2024 general election.

Mr Botchway said the General Secretary of the party, George Afful, and the disqualified presidential candidate of the party, Mr Appiah Kubi, did not use the right channel to file to contest the 2024 presidential election and, therefore, expressed satisfaction with the EC’s decision to disqualify the latter from taking part in the election.

The Director of Research and Elections of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Evans Nimako, and the Deputy Director of Elections and IT of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Rashid Tanko Computer, said the status quo would remain as the EC was not going to do any re-balloting of positions on the presidential ballots.

Recall

The EC suspended the printing of the 2024 presidential ballot papers following the demise of the presidential candidate of the GFP, Akua Donkor, on October 29, 2024, when the printing of the ballots for the elections was ongoing.

Ms Donkor is number three on the 2024 presidential ballot paper.

The EC, in a statement signed and issued by its Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, said: “While the 1992 Constitution and the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, C.1. 127, are not clear on processes to follow in the event of the death of a presidential candidate, Article 50 (4) of the 1992 Constitution provides as follows: ‘“Where at the close of nominations, but before the election, one of the candidates dies, a further period of 10 days shall be allowed for nominations.”