I want my name back as presidential candidate – Nana Konadu to EC

Founder and Flagbearer of the National Democratic Party (NDP) Nana Kondau Agyemang-Rawlings is accusing the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) of having employed “illegal” means to disqualify her from contesting the 2016 elections. She said lawyers of the Party have written to the Commission to “do what is legal and right”.

The former First Lady expressed these sentiments in an interview on BBC’s Focus on Africa on Wednesday, October 12. She said she cannot be blamed for what the EC found out as reason for her disqualification.

“It is completely the Electoral Commission’s fault because the Electoral Commission has violated Section 9 of CI 94 which obligates her to actually ask us to come and check our forms if she finds anything wrong with it.”

‘Bogus’

On Monday, October 10, in outlining reasons for disqualifying Mrs Rawlings, Charlotte Osei cited Salifu Abdulai, one of the subscribers to the forms of NDP’s nominee, as resident in two different districts, insinuating he doubly registered as a voter.

But the former first lady disputes this, saying the subscriber did not engage in multiple registration and, if indeed the Electoral Commission’s reasons are anything to go by, then “indeed it is telling me and the NDP that the Electoral Commission’s equipment and system is bogus”.

She said the letter written to the Commission is to point out “all those legal aspects that she very comfortably gloseed over so that it is brought to her attention”.

“I want my name back on the list,” she demanded, “that I am standing as a presidential candidate for the NDP and she has illegally removed my name from it and she should do what is legal and right”.

Mrs Rawlings failed to make it onto the ballot paper in 2012, a situation she recently blamed on the retired Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. She said she wants to lead the country to stem the tide of corruption, among other ills, in the Ghanaian society. “A number of things have happened to this country, the country is going down to the dogs.”