Dorcas Afo-Toffey
The Electoral Commission (EC) has filed its witness statement in the case in which one Joshua Emuah Kwofie is challenging the eligibility of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Jomoro, Dorcas Afo-Toffey, to contest the seat.
It would be recalled that at the last court sitting, the EC indicated that it will file its witness statement before the full trial of the case on June 6, 2022.
In the witness statement filed at the Sekondi High Court, the EC revealed that it complied with all laws pertaining to parliamentary elections in Ghana during the 2020 elections in the Jomoro Constituency.
It however, indicated that, if the current MP for the area had multiple nationalities, she ought to have disclosed and renounced same before filing her nomination to contest the parliamentary election.
According to the EC, its Returning Officer, Samuel Mensah, the Jomoro District Electoral Officer, complied with the constitutional and statutory obligation in the organisation and conduct of the parliamentary election in the Jomoro Constituency in the 2020 general elections.
The Electoral Officer stated that he was directly responsible for the conduct and supervision of the election being questioned in the proceedings.
He said the nomination process for parliamentary candidates in the said constituency was conducted in accordance with the principles laid down by law.
“The law requires that at the time of nomination, a candidate for parliamentary election deliver to the Returning Officer, a statutory declaration stating that he/she is qualified to be elected as a Member of Parliament and is not disqualified from being elected as such.
“The law further requires that the statutory declaration be made before a judge or a person authorised by law to administer an oath, and who shall certify the statutory declaration under the signature of the candidate,” he explained.
He said, “It is only after the submission of the nomination form which contains the statutory declaration together with the other requirements that a candidate is eligible to contest for election as an MP.”
The EC said it adjudged the 1st respondent qualified to contest for election as a MP for Jomoro based on the statutory declaration submitted together with the nomination forms.
According to the EC, upon the conduct of free and transparent nominations, voting and declaration of results, the 1st respondent was declared the winner of the parliamentary election for the Jomoro Constituency.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi