We’ll Release Filing Fees After Notice Of Poll - EC

The Electoral Commission has assured it will refund the filing fees of all Presidential hopefuls who were rejected and subsequently disqualified ahead of the general polls slated for December, 7. But the commission insists such monies will be released after the publication of the notice of poll. This comes after the Electoral Commission disqualified 12 presidential candidates and one other whose nomination is on hold pending a determination of a court case. The failed candidates list includes the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who was also disqualified for failing to meet requirements the EC stipulated in its regulations ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline date to file their nomination documents. The presidential candidates who are qualified to participate in the elections include Mahama, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), and independent candidate Jacob Osei Yeboah. There were legitimate concerns that the expense of huge sums paid as filing fees must be released back to the aspirants who were expelled from the Presidential race. But Communications Director of the Electoral Commission, Eric Dzakpasu in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM said the law prescribes that refunds of deposits must be made after the notice of poll. He adds: “To the extent that they are not contestants and the processes are going on, i think their funds must be given to them as an when the commission decides that it’s ready and then we pay to them.”

Dr Mary Grant To Be Buried On October 21

The burial service of Dr Mary Stoove Grant, a former Member of the Council of State will be held on Friday October 21 at the State House. The service will be preceded by a worship and songs service at the Calvary Methodist Church at 6.30pm on Wednesday, October 19. Membesr of the public will be allowed to file past her body on Friday, October 21 at 7.00am. Dr Grant will be interred at a private burial after which the final funeral rites will be observed at the State House. There will be no wreath laying ceremony. She served as a member of the Council of State in the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was also the Deputy PNDC Secretary for Health in 1985. Her service in the field of health as well as her involvement in drawing up guidelines for grassroots political structures led to her appointment as a member of PNDC in 1989, with special responsibility for Health and Education. In 1997 she was re-elected for another four-year term as a Member of the Council of State. She passed away on Sunday, September 18 at the 37 Military Hospital, aged 88 and was survived by seven children (two biological) and eight grandchildren.

There're 'Incompetent Men' In High Office: Joyce Aryee

Ms Joyce Aryee has wondered why Ghanaian men always question the competence and qualification of women who get appointed to high positions or attain high laurels, saying there are many "incompetent" men occupying high positions and messing up things but women do not question their qualification.

"I've come to realise that Ghanaian men don't respect women. Ghanaian men think women do not deserve to occupy high positions. Even though some men are incompetent, they still get to occupy very high positions in society but once a woman ascends to high office, a litany of questions are asked about her competence and qualification. Meanwhile, women never ask those questions about a lot of incompetent men who get to occupy such high offices," the founder of Salt & Light Ministries said while expressing pain about recent insult hurled at the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei, by Mr Hassan Ayariga, flag bearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), who was disqualified by the election management body for some infractions.

Mr Ayariga described Mrs Charlotte Osei as "stupid" and "foolish" for disqualifying him. "Madam Charlotte Osei herself is not qualified to be an EC leader," Mr Hassan Ayariga said in an interview with Emefa Apawu on Class91.3FM on Monday, 10 October, minutes after Mrs Osei announced his disqualification.

"I am telling you she is not qualified to be an electoral commissioner. Somebody who has contested in an election in the past, you are telling me you don't know his identity. Are you normal? And for that reason you disqualify that person? Does it make sense to you? That you tell me that Hassan Ayariga, you don't know his identity? Who the f*** are you?" an obviously angry Mr Ayariga said, adding: "This is the joke of the century."

Apart from Mr Ayariga, the EC disqualified 11 other presidential nominees and put one on hold, pending the determination of a court challenge.

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.

Condemning the insults, Ms Aryee, a former CEO of the Chamber of Mines, told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM's morning show Ghana Yensom on Wednesday 12 October: "What really pained me is the abuse hurled at Mrs Charlotte Osei by one of the disqualified flag bearers (Hassan Ayariga). The abuses were totally needless.

"How can Mr Ayariga say Mrs Charlotte Osei is not qualified? How is she not qualified?"

NDP To File Suit Against EC Over Disqualification Today.

The National Democratic Party (NDP), says their lawyers are working around the clock to file a suit against the disqualification of the presidential candidate, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings after their 24 hour ultimatum elapsed today, [Wednesday]. 

The Electoral Commission on Monday disqualified the former First Lady and some 12 others from contesting in the presidential election after they failed to meet the requirements.

In the case of the former First Lady, the EC said, is unable to accept Mrs. Rawlings’ nomination because the number of subscribers to her forms did not meet the requirements of Regulation 7 (2) (b) of CI 94, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, the Commissioner said at a press conference. 

According to the EC, one subscriber on page 89 of her nomination forms is not a validly registered voter and illegally registered twice and so is on the Exclusion list of multiple voters. Details are:Salifu Abdulai District: Nanumba South Voter ID no: 6617004814 (28.3.2012)Voter ID no: 2126900022 (04.8.2014).

But in a petition sent on behalf of the candidate and her running mate through their lawyers, gave the EC a twenty-four (24) hour ultimatum to reinstate the candidate or face them in court. 

The party according to its General Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Frimpong, is yet to receive a response to their petition. 

According to him, lawyers for their presidential and running mate will tomorrow file a suit against the EC over the unlawful disqualification.

'Skirt & Blouse Hits Okudjeto Ablakwa.....In North Tongu.

A significant number of youth sympathetic to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region have defected to the camp of an Independent Parliamentary aspirant, Mr. Christopher Kofi Eleblu.

The disillusioned supporters claimed the NDC cannot win the North Tongu parliamentary seat in the December 7, 2016 general elections due to the divide-and-rule tactics adopted by the NDC constituency executives.

The youth stated that their intelligence gathered have revealed that the executives were not ready for victory of the NDC in the December 7, 2016 polls but rather working for their parochial interest. 

In that regard, the NDC youth called on the people in the area to turn up on Wednesday December 7, 2016 and vote massively for Mr. Eleblu to the wrestle the seat from the incumbent NDC Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwah.

The NDC youth made this call to the journalists when they joined a health walk organised by supporters and sympathizers of Mr. Eleblu over the weekend at Juapong Traditional Area.

"We are supporting Mr. Elebu because we find it extremely difficult to understand why Mr. Eleblu who is a popular National Democratic Congress member was disqualified by the leadership of the NDC from contesting the ruling NDC parliamentary primaries for any wrong doing. We share the vision of Mr. Eleblu “Business, Business, Business for wealth creation.”

"So this year's December election it is going to be a great change in our voting line in the North Tongu which will be historic.We are going to vote skirt and blouse, i.e. we would vote for John Dramani Mahama for President and vote for Mr. Christopher Kofi Eleblu as the Member of Parliament for North Tongu," the NDC youth who wear President John Dramani Mahama 2016 campaign T-Shirts told journalists at Juapong during the health walk.

According to the youth, they have seen that the area was under developed although they had been voting for the NDC MPs, emphasizing on the lack of access to potable water, non-availability of police stations, no proper market centres, poor road networks, lack of toilet facilities and lack of educational infrastructures.

They NDC youth expressed happiness with Mr. Eleblu’s promise to build the business environment in North Tongu so as to create wealth, saying that they believe Mr. Eleblu’s vision will reduce the rate of unemployment in the area.

When he mounted the podium to address his teeming supporters at Juapong Methodist School, Mr. Eleblu confirmed that he had filed his nomination forms at the Electoral Commission (EC) office at Adidome to contest the December 7, 2016 polls as an independent parliamentary candidate.

He told the large crowd that he was satisfied with the manner in which the EC officials led by Mr. Samuel Bansah went about the filling of the nomination exercise, stressing that he went through the exercise without any difficulty and that everything was set for a healthy competition against his mother party, the NDC.

Mr. Eleblu, who was described by his supporters as “the man of bright future of North Tongu” assured the people of North Tongu that he had decided to compete in the race to enable him to rescue the people from under development and to reduce the high level of poverty among the people.

“Look, I have decided to stand for election as an MP with the greater responsibility of ensuring that the individual person's living conditions improve through my vision creating business opportunity to the people of the area”.

“He or she would have a positive feeling that his business is growing and mobilizing enough money in his pocket that would enable him or her life more comfortably than the current suffering that they are confronted with,” he emphasized. 

He explained that it was not economically sound for new classrooms to be built for the people while parents continued to live under severe hardship.

"With my development agenda or slogan which is "Business, Business, Business," many of the electorate have embraced me and as a result, I currently having large followers who cut across the political divide because there were people from his former party NDC among others, who were campaigning for him and President John Dramani Mahama and other presidential candidates.