I'll sue EC - Agyenim Boateng

The flag bearer of the United Front Party (UFP) has threatened to sue the Electoral Commission (EC) for disqualifying him from the 7 December presidential poll.

Dr Agyenim Boateng, who is one of 13 aspirants disqualified by the EC on Monday, 10 October, said: "Someone who endorsed me has endorsed another political party, so based on that you have disqualified me? I don't think I will [accept this] because last year October the Electoral Commission gave us a letter. The content of it is that any political party that is not able to get two-thirds of the constituency offices, that party will just not contest this year's election, but they will cancel its certificate as a registered political party. I have over 400 constituency offices, how many offices does the CPP have? So I don't think I will agree with this. …I will go to the office of the EC and get the official letter and I will advise myself with my lawyers."

Asked if he would seek redress in court, Dr Boateng said: "Definitely! As a law-abiding citizen, I will take the Electoral Commission to court for further clarification because they cannot allow me spend all these millions of Ghana cedis to acquire offices [only] for some political parties that don't have [those offices] and don’t…meet their requirement [to contest]…"

The EC disqualified 11 other presidential nominees on Monday October 10 and put one on hold, pending the determination of a court challenge.

Apart from Dr Agyenim Boateng, the others disqualified include 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 are: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP); Mr Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party); Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP); 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.

Mrs Osei cited filing anomalies including fraudulent signatures, absence of a required number of signatures, improper filling of nomination forms, among others, as the reasons for their disqualification. In the case of Mr Odike, Mrs Osei said Mr Odike had been given up to Friday, 14 October, to deal with the court case or count himself out of the race completely.

Mrs Osei said some of the fraudulent information provided by the nominees would be followed up by the police for possible arrest and prosecution.

Those whose nominations have been accepted include President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Akufo-Addo of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People's Party (CPP), and Jacob Osei Yeboah – an independent aspirant.

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