Court cases against EC can affect December polls - Ken Agyapong

Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North Constituency, Kennedy Agyapong, has joined the fray of concerned Ghanaians who are worried that the December 7th polls can be postponed following the multiple suit filed against the Electoral Commission

The MP believes that Ghana will face a huge challenge if the court does not expedite action with speed on the issues brought before it.

Yesterday, some disqualified political parties including the National Democratic Party (NDP), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the Progressive People’s Party, among other parties filed suit in court to challenge their disqualification.

The NDP for instance is seeking two reliefs namely;

(a) To get their candidate Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings reinstated and

(b) An injunction on the EC’s programme towards the elections until the final determination of the case.

The EC has been embroiled in some legal battles after it disqualified 12 political parties last Monday for failing to abide by directives stated in the Constitutional Instrument (C.I. 94).

The Commission explained it was unable to accept the nomination of the NDP flagbearer because the number of subscribers she raised fell short of the required 432 valid voters captured in the C.I.94.

EC boss, Charlotte Osei said, “One subscriber on page 89 of her nomination forms is not a validly registered voter and illegally registered twice and so is on the exclusion list of multiple voters.”

But Kennedy Agyapong speaking as a panelist on Adom TV’s Badwam on Tuesday morning, he said it was wrong for the EC to have disqualified the parties on that basis given that the voter was not indicted by EC.

“You say people have done double registration, so long as you have not indicted the person, you cannot stand on that to disqualify Political parties and their candidates”, he said.

According to him, the EC boss will have a valid case if she had ruled out those voters engaged in double registration but he fears it may not be so.

“They also have their rights to go to court if they feel they cheated but we have to tread cautiously because there is no time, even run ups normally affect the swearing in of Presidents, how much more court issues”, Mr. Agyapong lamented.

“All we can do now is to wait for the judgment but trust me, it is not going to be today or tomorrow”, the MP pointed out.