Presidential candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Papa Kwesi Nduom says he believes strongly that a system is in place to violate his rights.
In his view, there is no way he would have been disqualified from the presidential race if the Electoral Commission followed due process while vetting his nomination forms.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, the PPP founder said he wants to become president and lead members of his party into parliament but will not accept anything that undermines the process.
“I want the people of Ghana to be the ones to decide whether I become president or not but not some people to go into a room somewhere and decide silently by themselves that no matter what, this man will not go anywhere.
“That I don’t want…I believe that my rights are being trampled upon and I want to show the people that no one can do it to Papa Kwesi Nduom or the PPP and get away with it,” he added.
Dr Nduom was one of 12 presidential aspirants who had their presidential ambitions cut short by the EC on Monday. The list of 17 aspirants was pruned to four (4).
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission said the Dr 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.
Dr Nduom following his disqualification requested that the EC grants him 5 minutes to explain circumstances under which the mishap occurred.
The request was granted. The EC Chair, Charlotte Osei and her Deputy Amadu Sule met with the disgruntled aspirant on Tuesday.
Dr Nduom said he explained to the EC and her Deputy that the mishap in his application forms was a “small” administrative error.
However, at the end of the discussion, the EC Chair told Dr Nduom that although she made the recommendation, she did not take the final decision, the Commission did and that it is only the Commission that can decide if the decision can be reversed.
“And so she was standing where she stood with the letter that we had gone to pick up from the Commission”, Dr Nduom indicated.
But the PPP founder said he cannot wait for the EC to make its decision, adding that “I am asking the full Commission to also act in an expeditious manner, consider what it had done and reverse itself.”
Related: EC violated its own rules in disqualifying presidential aspirants-Kwaku Azar
He also indicated that a team of lawyers have been assembled and are ready to take all steps necessary in law to compel the EC to accept his nomination papers.
“I am prepared to go as far as I am allowed to go by law to get my rights restored”, he stressed.
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