EC has more questions to answer in court – Afram Plains South MP

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Afram Plains South, Joseph Appiah Boateng, has threatened to sue the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana if it does not come out to clear the controversy surrounding the filing of nomination of two NDC candidates for the area.

On the deadline of submission of nomination forms for parliamentary candidates, two stalwarts from the NDC filed to contest the Afram Plains South seat following the resignation of Mr. Boateng, to contest for a second time.

The two, Mark-Oliver Kevor, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the NDC and Eric Osei-Owusu are all said to have filed their nomination at the same time but the Returning Officer for the area announced the former as the candidate for the Akatamansonians after scrutinizing his forms.

Kevor, according to inside sources, was given the mandate to file on the ticket of the Akatamansonians by the National Chairman of the NDC, Kofi Portuphy.

However, Eric Osei-Owusu who contested the incumbent MP but lost, according to party officials, was also given the mandate to file by the party’s Chief Scribe, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, popularly known as General Mosquito.

The two candidates have been campaigning simultaneously as the NDC parliamentary candidate for the area.

Party officials in the Afram Plains South have for the past three weeks, been putting pressure on the National Executives of the party to settle matter as soon as possible or risk losing the seat to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The MP on Thursday, October 13, 2016 gave the EC a 48-hour ultimatum to publicly announce the candidate who filed to contest on the ticket of the NDC. Failure to do so, he added, will see the EC being dragged to court.

But Mr. Nketiah commenting on the issue in an interaction with sit-in host, Kwaku Owusu Agyei, on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Monday, said Eric Osei-Owusu is the candidate the party has sanctioned to represent the Afram Plains South.

“If you go to the records of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, the one who has filed in the name of the NDC and who has been given the power to represent the party is Eric Osei-Owusu,” he announced.

Asked whether he is aware that Mr. Portuphy has also sanctioned the candidacy of Mark-Oliver Kevor, he retorted “We don’t have such in the records of the NDC.”

Mr. Boateng reacting to the comments of his party’s Chief Scribe on the problem said the EC has more questions to answer regarding the eligibility of Eric Osei-Owusu to contest the Afram Plains South parliamentary seat.

He told Owusu Adjei that as at the time of close of nomination, the CEO of Ghana Buffer Stock had not filed his nomination and therefore wondered how Mr. Osei-Owusu got that opportunity to represent the party.

“As at the close of nomination on the deadline date, September 30, 2016, Osei-Owusu had not filed his nomination. The EC closed at 5:00pm. And at 5:30pm, the EC announced that three candidates including Mark-Oliver Kevor had filed their nominations. So, I am wondering how Osei-Owusu filed his nomination.”

“The EC must tell us the date it opened their offices for Osei-Owusu to file his nomination. Again, as at the close of nomination, Osei-Owusu had not transferred his vote to the constituency. So, the EC must tell us when it transferred the vote of Osei-Owusu to the constituency. I want the EC to come out to explain itself on the matter or face court action,” he noted.