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Disqualified Konadu demands justice, as she seeks to injunct 2012 polls
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- Created on Saturday, 20 October 2012 00:00
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Disqualified Konadu demands justice, as she seeks to injunct 2012 polls
The flagbearer of the National Democratic Party, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings is up in arms against the Electoral Commission for what she described as injustice meted out to her.
The EC had explained that it disqualified the NDP because they failed to meet the requirements for filing their nomination forms, but the party believes there is more to the explanation given than meet the eyes.
Mrs Rawlings told the media that the party would take legal action to sanitise the system, if the EC stood on its grounds to keep her out of the race to the presidency.
She however discounted any personal attachment or interest in taking the matter to court.
She explained, “The issue of the law being fair and unfair comes into play; so we all want the law to be fair to every citizen of this country…so indeed, personal feelings don’t come into this matter: is the law fair or is it not?”
The NDP’s national Chairman, Josiah Aryeh reechoed the party’s position, and emphasised that they will proceed to court to seek an injunction to stop the EC from proceeding with the December elections if their formal protest is not considered favourably.
“We must file an injunction to prohibit the Electoral Commission from continuing the process,” he asserted.
He also explained that the party is heading for court because “there is a serious question to be tried. Because the EC has rules and it is violating it rules, and not being fair”.
Meanwhile, a private legal practitioner, Egbert Fabile Jnr told Joy News it was wrong for the EC to set a specific date for the filing of the nomination forms under Regulation 7(2b) of C.I. 15.
He said even though the C. I. 15, which the NDP is basing its argument on has been repealed by C.I. 75 - despite the fact that he was yet to read the C.I. 75 –, be believes the current law would only be an update of the previous one.
He said the EC did not act “reasonably” when it refused to allow the NDP the opportunity to correct mistakes on the party’s form.
But Principal Public Relations Officer at the EC, Sylvia Annor said as at 6 pm Friday the party's petition protesting their disqualification had not come to her attention.
She said although the EC has ended its nominations, “if there is another development, that would be for the Commission to delve into the matter and decide on what to do”
From:Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com
No comments15 NDP parliamentary candidates to contest in the Volta Region
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- Created on Saturday, 20 October 2012 00:00
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15 NDP parliamentary candidates to contest in the Volta Region
20 October 2012
{sidebar id=10 align=right}Fifteen parliamentary candidates of the National Democratic Party (NDP), in the Volta Region have successfully filed their nominations to contest in the 2012 polls.
This is in spite of the disqualification of the party’s flagbearer, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings; a case the party says it will vehemently contest in court.
Deputy Communications Director of the NDP, Dr. Hilarious Abiwu told Joy News the NDP would know by Monday the full list of its qualified candidates nationwide.
“We had paid for 190 Parliamentary candidates; however, after the close of nominations, we have not yet received a confirmation on whether the various persons we had paid for actually filed successfully,” he said.
“But for the Volta region, as at this morning, the information we got from the Regional Chairman was that fifteen of those who had put their names forward had filed successfully at the close of nomination,” Dr. Hilarious Abiwu added.
The NDP Deputy Communications Director said, “We are expecting that by Monday we should have the full details of the numbers that were able to file completely as at the close of nominations.”
From: Myjoyonline.com
NPP Should File an Amicus Brief
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- Created on Friday, 19 October 2012 00:00
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NPP Should File an Amicus Brief
19 October 2012
The predictable decision by Ghana’s Electoral Commission to summarily disqualify the presidential candidacy of former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and her National Democratic Party (NDP), ought to be hotly contested.
It ought to be hotly contested not only by the primarily aggrieved parties but, indeed, by the entire faction of the country’s opposition parties, notably the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) – (See “Disqualified Konadu Demands Justice” Ghanaweb.com 2/19/12).
{sidebar id=10 align=right}While my personally inveterate and non-negotiable disaffection for the former First Lady is a matter of public record, nonetheless, what is at stake here is the fair and equitable ministration of democratic accountability, justice and fair-play in Fourth-Republican Ghana.
Furthermore, the blistering media fallout generated, largely by angry key operatives of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the wake of the historically conciliatory meeting between Nana Akufo-Addo and former President Rawlings, the estranged founding-father of the NDC, offers more than ample forensic testimony to the fact of the EC and the NDC having sinisterly and deliberately collaborated to squelch the admittedly inordinate and even flagrant political ambitions of the former First Lady.
Then also ought to be significantly observed the fact that earlier on, the same Afari-Gyan-led Electoral Commission had publicly and officially certified the National Democratic Party as a legitimately constituted active participant of Election 2012. In other words, the EC needs to offer the Ghanaian electorate a more palpable reason than sheer documentary or technical glitches as primary causative motive for disqualifying the NDP and its leader.
On the sanguine side, the fact of the NDP having been initially certified by the EC as a legitimate political organization, perforce, gives the Konadu-Rawlings Group a license to campaign in Election 2012. On the latter score, Mrs. Rawlings could publicly and visibly throw her weight behind any other political party that she so desires by vigorously campaigning for the same.
Ultimately, however, it is imperative for the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party to issue a strong signal to both the Electoral Commission and the brazenly vested National Democratic Congress that in a salutary, albeit fledgling, democratic culture such as Fourth-Republican Ghana’s, the sort of abjectly crude political arm-twisting being shamelessly pursued by the EC and the NDC will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
The NPP can more effectively do so by joining the NDP in an Amicus Brief, once the Josiah Aryeh-chaired group has formally filed its intended complaint with the Appeals Court, or any other legitimately constituted court of adjudication which decides to take up this crucial matter.
By *Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.
Department of English
Nassau Community College of SUNY
Garden City, New York
Something must be terribly wrong with Nana Konadu - Sekou
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- Created on Saturday, 20 October 2012 00:00
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Something must be terribly wrong with Nana Konadu - Sekou
20 October 2012
{sidebar id=10 align=right}Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, the youngest son of the former President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah has waded into the disqualification of NDP flagbearer Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings saying “something must be terribly wrong with the former First Lady”.
Dr. Nkrumah however sympathized with Mrs. Rawlings and stated his disappointment over the former First lady’s failure to file her nomination to contest the December elections.
According to him, he wonders why Nana Konadu could not supervise the completion of the forms on time to be able to meet the deadline.
“It looks now that something is terribly wrong with her and it is either she or President Rawlings is out of touch, something I suspected a long time ago”.
Speaking on Radio XYZ’s current affairs program the Analyst, Dr. Nkrumah said the former first lady has a lot to do to convince Ghanaians that she is still politically viable.
“My point here is that it is actually not good for her political future” Sekou Nkrumah said adding “even the GCPP who will not even get 0.5 percent met the criteria of the EC”.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah’s co-panellist, Mr. Kwame Gyantuah from the CPP asserts that the former First lady is finished politically and would find it difficult to revive her political career again.
“I would say to her, she and her husband have been in Ghanaian politics for a very long time and it is time to hang the gloves”.
“It is not only an embarrassment to herself but an embarrassment to her husband [John Rawlings]”.
From: Ghana | XYZ
Heavy police presence at EC over Okaikoi North NDC brouhaha
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- Created on Thursday, 18 October 2012 00:00
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Heavy police presence at EC over Okaikoi North NDC brouhaha
{sidebar id=10 align=right}There is heavy police presence at the Okaikoi Constituency Office of the Electoral Commission here in Accra to prevent possible clashes between rival factions of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
This follows disagreement over who should file nomination on the party’s ticket to contest the December parliamentary elections in the Okaikoi North constituency.
Two candidates, Andrew Okaikoi and Abdul Nasiru Abbas have filed to contest the election in the constituency but the EC on Wednesday rejected both nominations, insisting the party must determine who is eligible to stand on its ticket in that constituency.
Earlier on Thursday, Andrew Okaikoi who reportedly rejected the party’s advice to contest the Okaikoi Central seat told Joy News the EC will be in contempt of court if it allows Nasiru Abass to file nominations.
He said he has already been chosen as the candidate for that area, saying the regional executives who have been mandated by the party’s constitution to supervise such elections have already accepted his candidature.
“What has changed? Have they nullified the first elections that we went to? What is illegal about the first one [primaries] and what has become legal for me to contest another primaries?” Mr Okaikoi asked.
Meanwhile the regional and national executives of the NDC are also divided over the matter. The greater Accra regional chairman Ade Coker who backs Mr. Okaikoi insists no one can stop him from filing the nominations.
“Certain elements in the party there, for their own parochial interest, have decided to kick against this issue. We in the region feel very strongly about this that [Mr] Okaikoi should represent the Okaikoi North constituency,” he maintained.
But Abdul Abass strongly disagrees, insisting the party has paid for his nomination forms because he is the candidate they want on that ticket.
From: Joy News