13 presidential hopefuls were sloppy - EC

Due diligence could have saved the 13 disqualified presidential aspirants from being disqualified from the December 7 polls, Georgina Opoku Amakwaah, a Deputy Chair of the Electoral Commission has said.

The EC, as announced by its Chair, Mrs Charlotte Osei, on Monday October 9, disqualified the aspirants for forgery, perjury, clerical and administrative errors.

Those disqualified include flag bearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), Mr Hassan Ayariga, Dr Edward Mahama of the People's National Convention (PNC); Dr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP); Kofi Akpaloo of the Independent People's Party (IPP); Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD); and Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People's Party (PPP).

The others include: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP); Mr Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party); Thomas Ward-Brew of the Democratic People's Party (DPP); Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate, and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). Mr Akwasi Addae Odike of the United Progressive Party's nomination is on hold pending a court case.

Speaking on the ‘Ask The EC’ programme on GTV on Wednesday, 12 October about the disqualifications, Mrs Opoku-Amankwah said: “… This is the reason why we want to encourage everybody to take advantage of the exhibition of the register. It is there that you will go and find out that your name is not there and you will request that it should be included. Then it will be determined if really your name has to be included, if not, then you will not be on the main register, you may be on the multiple list.”

“So, the politicians or the political parties – if they had been diligent enough – should have got the register of where they were getting the endorsements (to cross-check).”