The flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Papa Kwesi Nduom has said that he bears no grudges against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei following the party’s court victory over the latter.
Mr Nduom who was until yesterday [October 28] disqualified by the Electoral Commission from the upcoming presidential elections for errors identified on his nomination forms said his party has been advocating for the strengthening of the electoral body to enable it deliver on its mandate effectively.
Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis program the Big Issue, he said the PPP’s decision to challenge his disqualification in court was only based on the desire to have his right and that of others duly respected.
“I don’t know Charlotte Osei. I have only met her once. I don’t have any malice in my heart or in my mind towards her. All that we have wanted is to ensure that my rights and the rights of everybody has been recognized and protected.”
He added that “PPP since 2012 have been advocating for the strengthening of the Electoral Commission and have put in place recommendations on paper even after the 2012 elections…that it will be able to apply the political parties’ law evenly across board without fear or favour to anybody and that has been our position,” he said.
Why Nduom went to court
Papa Kwesi Nduom told host Umaru Sanda Amadu that his party was hesitant in going to court to seek redress on the matter and therefore called for a meeting to amicably address the matter but the Electoral Commissioner was not ready to change the commission’s stance and dared all the aggrieved parties to go to court.
“It wasn’t just that they will give me a hearing, but they will give me the opportunity to make amends, to alter whatever it is that they deemed is in error. We went there with the mind that they will indeed grant us that but it was quite apparent that after just a few minutes, what they were seeking to do was to try and see if they could even find some more errors. After about two or three minutes what the commissioner said had made her points and she made the recommendation to the commission and so it will take the commission to reverse the decision… then the Commission and deputy commissioner got up and said the discussions were over,” Nduom noted.
Dr Nduom insisted that the EC was not fair to the PPP because it allowed other political parties to make corrections on their nomination forms but did not give them the same opportunity.
“Why this selective administration of the rules, why? I don’t want to have a quarrel with anybody, this is all about democracy and democracy when it works well, it is about development and prosperity. It is for all of us,” he added.
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