The 2016 Progressive Peoples’ Party’s Presidential candidate says the Electoral Commission (EC) should pardon errors on his presidential nomination form because it also makes mistakes.
Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom who is set to challenge his disqualification in court pointed out errors committed by the EC on a receipt given to him for payment of GH¢1.7 million as filing fees for the party’s 170 parliamentary candidates.
The receipt read GH¢1,700 instead.
“Should we report to the police? Should we take them to court,” he said suggesting that the EC’s is getting petty with what he believes is an extreme focus on minor errors that can easily be corrected.
The PPP candidate was disqualified after the EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei said due diligence was not paid in the filling of the nomination form of the entrepreneur.
She said one Richard Aseda with the voter’s ID number 7812003957 endorsed Dr Nduom’s nomination form as a voter of both the Central and Volta Region, an act that contradicts the laws governing elections in Ghana.
But Paa Kwesi Nduom says the law CI 94 which governs elections requires that EC should “draw my attention to it and give me the opportunity to correct it”.
Like the EC made a mistake on his receipt, the PPP could also make mistakes.
“Those things happen don’t they,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Thursday.
He explained that the presidential nomination forms are more than a 100-page document, making it likely for errors to be committed.
He said the PPP could also magnify the administrative error on the receipt and conjecture that someone wants to steal the money his party paid to government.
“Before you know it, government gets GH¢1,700 and then someone pockets the rest,” he said.
He argued that the Charlotte Osei-led Electoral Commission cannot follow its own standard of administrative perfection which formed the basis to qualify him for the elections.
He vowed to challenge the decision as far as possible because he is convinced his rights have been violated.
“We will continue to fight,” Dr Nduom revealed his party’s determination.
Charlotte Osei treating NDC, NPP with kit gloves but PPP with hammer
The disqualified presidential candidate has also made a case that the Electoral Commission’s decision to disqualify him on the basis of an administrative error was selective.
Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom says the Electoral Commission appears to be unable to punish the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) when they fail to comply with laws and regulations, but the Commission appears quick to punish the PPP he said.
He emphasised that Charlotte Osei, appears to be treating the main political parties with kit gloves but comes across as harsh when dealing with other minor parties.
Giving examples, Dr Nduom noted that he complied with the requirement to declare his assets but the NPP expressly stated it won’t and it did not. The governing NDC also did not comply, he observed.
Again the PPP complied with the EC’s directive to file audited accounts in accordance with Act 574 of the Political Parties Act. The EC threaten the withdraw the license of parties unable to comply with the deadline by May 31, 2016.
“The NPP and the NDC have not and yet the EC has granted them ‘special dispensation’ to work towards compliance at a future date.
“Is the NPP bigger than Ghana? Is the NDC bigger than Ghana?2 he pummelled the EC’s decisions,” he quizzed.
According to him, seven other parties complied with the directive to file audited accounts and yet six of them were also disqualified in the EC’s shocking sweep of disqualification that affected 12 political parties.
He said presidential candidates like the Convention People’ Party’s (CPP) Ivor Greenstreet could not submit their bankers draft (GH¢50,000 filing fees) on a ‘big’ deadline day and yet his nomination was approved.
Akwasi Addai too was given four days to deal with a court case or face qualification he stressed.
“If others were given the opportunity why not the PPP and Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom?” he said.
-Myjoyonline