We’ll resist any attempt to disqualify our flagbearer again – NDP

The National Democratic Party (NDP) has vowed to resist any attempt by the Electoral Commission to disqualify its Flagbearer, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings for the second consecutive time ahead of the December 7 election.

The former First lady who’s Presidential candidate for the NDP picked her Presidential nomination forms on Wednesday in readiness for the crucial polls which is less than three months away.

The Electoral Commission (EC) less than two months to last general election in 2012, disqualified Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings after she reportedly failed to properly fill out her nomination forms and being caught by the deadline for submission of nomination forms.

E.C officials claimed Mrs Rawlings’ presidential nomination forms were rejected because they were incomplete. Her forms, reportedly, did not contain the requisite number of people from across the country to endorse them.

In other instances, those who endorsed did not sign them. E.C officials will also not accept a situation where NDP leaders allegedly decided to sign on behalf of those from various regions who endorsed her forms but failed to append their signatures.

But the Communications Director of the NDP, Ernest Owusu Bempah in an interview with Kasapa News, has stated that the party has mapped out its strategy that will make it impossible for the EC to disqualify Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings even if they’re hatching a plan to do so.

“This time around we have in our possession the diabolic plans of the EC against our candidate. That is why we announced it when we were going to pick her nomination forms. When we finish filling it, we’ll hold a press conference where we’ll show the filled form to the media so that everyone can attest that indeed it has been well filled, before we present the forms to the EC. When that is done, let someone tell us that we could not fill our forms.”

The Electoral Commission has pegged the filing fee for Presidential nominees at GHc50,000 while parliamentary aspirants will pay GHc10,000.

As at Thursday September 15, Fifteen presidential hopefuls have so far picked nomination forms to contest in the upcoming general election in December.

They are made up of 13 political parties and two independent candidates.

The political parties are the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), the All People’s Party (APP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).

The others are the United Development System Party (UDSP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the United Love Party (ULP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The Independent People’s Party (IPP), the United Progressive Party (UPP), the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) and the united Front Party (UFP) picked their forms last Tuesday.

The Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 started giving out nomination forms to interested political parties and candidates who wish to contest in the election.