Nii Ayikoi Otoo, lawyer for the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), has stated that Electoral Commission’s (EC) Chairperson, Mrs. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei is a victim of gross inexperience.
Speaking to the press shortly after an Accra High Court ordered the Electoral Commission to correct errors on the nomination forms submitted to it by the flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, lawyer Ayikoi Otoo said even though the EC bossshe is a lawyer, she is not a practicing lawyer.
“I am aware the number of years she has practiced . In these matters, which can affect the rights of others, she needs to do more consultation before proceeding to court,”
“So having misbehaved, she cannot benefit from her wrong doing… Did she act in a rational manner? Was she fair? These are the issues. She breached all the laws which also amount to illegality. The errors are all there, apparent on the face of CI 94…Everybody has understood this position and I don’t expect the judge to go any other way,” he observed.
He explained that , it was clear the Electoral Commission (EC) erred in disqualifying Dr Nduom and has so far failed to offer any good explanation for his disqualification and that it was not for nothing that the law states that aspirants should be given ample time to amend and alter mistakes on their nomination forms if any.
“The law provides that when I present my forms look through and if you find anything wrong, give me an opportunity to correct and if I fail to correct then you do the endorsement, give it to the EC and within seven days let the EC make a decision.
“I bring my forms to you on the 30th. You accept the forms. You told me nothing, go, you’ll hear from me. Then on the 10th the only hearing is that I have been disqualified. Have you acted according to the law? Did you give me the opportunity to do the corrections?” he quipped.
Nii Ayikoi Otoo added that, “If parliament wanted everybody who commits an error to be disqualified, (it) would have said so. It wouldn’t say that give the person opportunity to go and amend; not only amend but alter.
What do you understand by those two powerful words? I can change anything on the forms. So they failed clearly and they have not offered any good explanation,” he charged.
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