NPP, EC planning to field unqualified candidate in Assin North by-election – NDC

The opposition NDC has accused the NPP of conspiring with the Electoral Commission to include the name of an unqualified aspirant in the Assin North voters register ahead of the by-election.

The party claims they will take whatever legal action is necessary to prevent the Electoral Commission and the NPP from carrying out this “illegal plot.”

In a statement on Sunday, the NDC alleged that the aspirant, Charles Opoku, is not a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency, noting that the “illegal” move will help the aspirant contest in the NPP parliamentary primaries to select a candidate for the Assin North by-election.

The party argued that this is against the requirement that a candidate in an election must be a registered voter in the said constituency.

“It is instructive to note that according to Regulation 22 of the Public Elections Regulations 2020 (C.I. 127), voter transfer can only be effected for an ordinary citizen not less than 42 days before a public election. More importantly, transfer applications can only be made to the Returning Officer of a public election,” the statement revealed.

“Given the fact that we have less than 42 days to the by-election in Assin North and a Returning Officer is yet to be appointed for same, any transfer of voters to Assin North will be unlawful and same shall be fiercely rejected by the NDC,” the statement added.

Earlier in the week, the NPP declared that two individuals, Frederick Amoah Kyei and Charles Opoku, had picked up forms to contest in the party’s primary to choose a parliamentary candidate for the Assin North by-election.

The Assin North seat became vacant after the Supreme Court instructed the Parliament of Ghana to strike off the name of the outgoing MP, James Gyakye Quayson, from its list of MPs because the latter had dual citizenship before the 2020 elections.

Since the decision of the apex court, the NDC has vowed to represent Mr. Quayson, who has since obtained sole citizenship as a Ghanaian.

The Assin North bye-election is slated for June 27, 2023, according to the Electoral Commission.