Joseph Osei Yeboah, the only independent presidential hopeful in the December 7 polls, is calling on electorate to ignore “useless” political party system for a visionary individual to run the affairs of the country.
Mr. Yeboah contested the 2012 elections, polling 15,156 votes representing 0.14percent.
He was in that race with seven other aspirants including the president John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Abu Sakara of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Hassan Ayariga of the People’s National Convention (PNC).
In this year’s polls, however, he will be running for the Flagstaff House with three others - President Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo and Ivor Greenstreet of the CPP. The Electoral Commission disqualified 12 other aspirants including the presidential nominees of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), Great Consolidated People’s Party (GCPP) - Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and Henry Hebert Lartey respectively.
Mr. Yeboah argued that the disqualification of the aforementioned parties confirms his long held believe that, the Ghanaian political party system is useless characterized by incompetence.
“…Look at NPP and NDC boasting of over five million followers, it means that use that machinery and give us someone who lives above the bar, such that everybody can say that this is a presidential material, a man of vision, someone who can lead us,” he told Accra-based Class FM.
Regrettably, according to Mr. Yeboah, that was not the case, saying “I just want to tell you how useless the parties are becoming. They are becoming useless. They don’t follow the constitution. Look at what happened with NPP and NDC… we shouldn’t be afraid. When 31st of May, the Electoral Commission said that it wanted them to follow the political party law, the NPP and the NDC couldn’t present their account and they have not done so for so many years.”
He said he cannot explain why Ghanaians must continue to vote for these parties amidst their gross disrespect of the country’s constitution.
“It is madness,” he thundered, asking “what is wrong with us as Ghanaians?”
"It was high time for a change of mentality in the December 7 polls for a competent and visionary individual who has the temperament to fix the economic challenges facing the country," and that person, he said "is Joseph Osei Yeboah".