Jean Mensa
THE ELECTORAL Commission (EC) has deleted the names of some 17 political parties from Ghana’s political party register for failing to meet its requirements as stated by law.
The affected political parties are Ward Nuako Brew’s Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Nana Agyenim Boateng Gyataba’s United Front Party (UFP), United Development System (UDSP), Owuraku Amofa’s Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE), Yes People’s Party (YPP), Charles Wereko Brobby’s United Ghana Movement (UGM), Obed Asamoah’s Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), and Prophet Nkansah’s New Vision Party (NVP).
The others are the Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP), Ghana National Party (GNP), Power Unity Party (PUP), Akwasi Addai Odike’s United Progressive Party (UPP), Kwabena Adjei Bambata’s Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD), People’s Action Party (PAP), Kofi Wayo’s United Renaissance Party (URP), Goosie Tanoh’s National Reform Party (NRP) and Ramon Osei Akoto’s United Love Party (ULP).
This follows a nationwide exercise to inspect the offices of all registered political parties in Ghana embarked on by the EC between May and June 2022.
However, after the exercise, the EC invoked Section 15 (3) (c) of the Political Parties Act of 2000, Act 574, which mandated it to cancel the registration of political parties which did not have offices at the national and regional levels.
“The general public is hereby informed that the registration certificates of the underlisted political parties have been cancelled in accordance with Section 15 (3) (c) of the political parties Law, 2000 (Act 574) effective the 1st day of November 2022.”
But some founders of the parties, prior to the revocation, resisted the move.
One of such party leaders is Akwasi Addai Odike of the United Progressive Party, who accused the Electoral Commission of disrespecting smaller parties following the notice to revoke the registration of 17 of them.
“This woman [Electoral Commission Chair] doesn’t respect me as a person. Even when I want to meet her to discuss something, never has this woman allowed me to meet her,” Mr. Odike complained.
“All the information was provided to them, so I don’t understand why she makes a U-turn to throw into the public space that they cannot find our offices.
“Sometimes NDC and NPP fail to submit even their audited reports, and it takes the EC to go after them for many months before they submit it. These are normal things that happen to political parties.”
BY Vincent Kubi