The Electoral Commission of Ghana has disqualified the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) from the upcoming 2024 presidential election due to alleged irregularities in its nomination process.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Jean Mensa, announced the decision at an emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday morning, November 12.
The GFP had nominated Philip Appiah Kubi, popularly known as “Roman Fada,” as its new presidential candidate following the recent passing of Akua Donkor, the party’s founder and initial nominee.
However, Mrs. Mensa explained that both Kubi and the vice presidential candidate picked by the GFP failed to meet the necessary eligibility requirements.
Upon examining Kubi’s nomination forms, the EC found inconsistencies, as details from registered voters in certain districts were duplicated to represent other districts. Consequently, the Commission has disqualified the GFP’s candidate from the 2024 race.
“There were some illegalities on the forms. The requirement is that there should be two registered voters from each district endorsing the nomination form of a presidential candidate,” Mrs. Mensa said.
Despite the disqualification, the Electoral Commission announced that it would proceed with the ballot printing as originally planned.
This means that the GFP’s emblem and the late Akua Donkor’s image will remain on the ballot paper, occupying the third position. However, the EC Chairperson clarified that any votes cast for the GFP will be invalidated and will not be counted.
“This morning, we are here to inform you of the Commission’s decision to maintain the presidential ballot as it is. As you may be aware, since you have representatives in the printing houses, we are almost 90 percent complete with the printing of presidential ballots,” the EC Chairperson said.
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