Cartoon: The anxious wait for re-sit results

The Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) will on Wednesday, November 9 announce presidential candidates who met all requirements on their nomination forms at re-submission.

This will be in time for balloting scheduled for Thursday, November 10. About 13 presidential candidates were initially disqualified by the Commission after various irregularities were detected with their nomination forms – submitted at a fee of GH¢50,000. But led by the Progressive People’s Party’s Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, some of the disqualified candidates ran to court for redress.

With the High Court upholding the prayers of Dr Nduom and All People’s Congress’ Hassan Ayariga, the Commission went to the Supreme Court for a review of the High Court’s decision on the former’s.

On Monday, the apex court of Ghana asked the Commission to extend to Tuesday, November 8, the deadline for submission, thereby suspending all High Court cases relating to the disqualification. Eight affected candidates including an independent aspirant rushed to the head office on Tuesday to rectify anomalies with their forms.

The Commission says it will take a decision on the re-submitted forms and announce those to make it for Thursday’s balloting. Already, four candidates – National Democratic Congress’ John Dramani Mahama, New Patriotic Party’s Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Convention People’s Party’s Ivor Kobina Greenstreet and independent candidate Jacob Osei Yeboah – are guaranteed participation for the balloting.