Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ayikoi Otoo has said the Electoral Commission (EC) erred in disqualifying Flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Ndoum.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Ayikoi Otoo who is lawyer for Dr. Ndoum posited that the EC breached its own rules when it disqualified the PPP presidential candidate.
“The EC issue of breached its own rules which had imposed a duty on them to give candidates an opportunity to make amendments and alterations. The issue of breach of the rules of natural justice is so fundamental that everyone should be given a hearing before being condemned. Even under common law, you can always go to court and say that ‘I have been dismissed from work and they never gave me an opportunity to be heard.’”
The Presidential aspirant of the PPP, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, was disqualified by the EC together with twelve other aspirants a few weeks ago, after the EC found that their nomination forms were not appropriately filled according to existing electoral laws.
The Chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei said Nduom was disqualified because the number of subscribers to his forms did not meet the requirements of Regulation 7 (2) (b) of CI 94.
The Commission said, one of his subscribers endorsed the form with different signatures in both portions of the nomination form, raising questions as to the legitimacy of one or both signatures.
But the lawyer however argues that the “law itself imposes a duty on the EC to grant candidates who might have difficulties with the nomination forms to correct them so if you fail to do that then it means… , you have not worked in accordance with the law that set you up.”
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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