The disqualified presidential nominee of United Freedom Party (UFP) Dr Nana Agyenim Boateng popularly called ‘Gyataba’ has stated that the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) Mrs Charlotte Osei is gradually dragging her outfit into the mud.
According to him, the once locally and internationally respected independent institution is losing its value which could affect the credibility of whatever it produces.
Dr Boateng was part of the 13 presidential candidates who were disqualified by the EC for failing to meet the needed requirements at the close of nomination for presidential candidates.
Speaking with host of Abusua FM’s Abusua Nkommo Kwame Adinkrah, he said it was wrong on the part of the EC Chair not to grant them the opportunity to be heard but disqualified them outright.
He claimed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was given opportunity by the former EC Chairman Dr Afari Gyan to rectify the anomaly on their presidential nominee’s forms in 2012.
A livid disqualified presidential hopeful asked if the current EC chair is super human than her predecessor.
‘Why punish us for mistakes committed by our subscribers?. Are we magicians to know that our subscribers engaged in double nomination forms signing? We would have accepted our mistakes if we had committed the mistakes ourselves as presidential nominees. It is unacceptable to punish us because of somebody’s mistakes. Is Charlotte Osei a human being than Dr Afari Gyan. You don’t create your own law, you only implement. I am sad that Charlotte is dragging the respected locally and internationally EC into the mud,’ he fumed.
He lashed out at the EC Chair for refusing to do due diligence on their nomination forms before disqualifying them adding that political parties who have two thirds of offices should have been considered.
The candidate is worried he spent colossal sum money in acquiring the offices threatening to sue EC if it refuses to do due diligence and have its earlier decision on his disqualification reversed.
‘If we are talking about due diligence then she should be the first person to resign from her position. I will sue EC if Charlotte does not obey the law. She could have saved herself from these lawsuits if she had prevented political parties who do not meet their requirement from picking the forms, they are not serious. They should have educated us about the rules governing the nomination forms. I am watching closely on how the Supreme Court case involving the EC and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will end,’ he said.
Gyataba said the country is not under military rule or animal kingdom where people cannot freely comment on issues indicating that the EC wants the country to go into war.
‘The election is unlikely to come on due to these lawsuits, Ghanaians should rise up,’ he charged.
