Pollster and Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Ben Ephson, says he is very optimistic that the Supreme Court ruling against the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will favour only four presidential candidates who were disqualified by the electoral body.
The candidates whom he described as ‘Gang of Four’ are; Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Party (APC) and Dr. Edward Mahama of the People’s National Convention (PNC).
These candidates, he believes, will have their names and pictures on the ballot, come December 7, 2016. The remaining nine who were also disqualified, he stressed, will find it very difficult to correct any error on their nomination forms looking at the date set aside by the Supreme Court for close of nomination.
“I had already said that when they go the Supreme Court today, the Court will give them a short time like two days to correct any error on their nomination form. With the two days, I think it is only the ‘gang of four’ that is Konadu, Nduom, Hassan Ayariga and Dr. Edward Mahama who can do the necessary corrections on their forms. It will be very difficult for the remaining nine because some have fifty pages and nobody has signed for them. They can’t go to all the districts for people to sign. And so by close of tomorrow, I believe only the four will prevail,” he noted.
The Supreme Court by a unanimous decision ordered the Electoral Commission, (EC) to extend close of nomination period to tomorrow Tuesday November 8, and allow all disqualified Presidential aspirants the chance to make necessary corrections.
Kasapa FM’s Court Correspondent, Daakyehene Ofosu Agyeman reported that all pending cases on disqualification of aspirants have therefore been stayed. The EC is expected to comply with orders with immediate effect.
The decision was made Monday after the court gave its ruling on the case brought before it by the Electoral Commission seeking to counter-quash a ruling by the High Court, which ordered it to allow disqualified Presidential Candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, to be reinstated into the presidential contest.
The Electoral Management body ran to the Supreme Court to seek clarity following a high court’s decision that quashed Dr. Nduom’s disqualification.
Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom and 12 other Presidential aspirants were disqualified by the Electoral Commission following some anomalies found on the Presidential nomination forms at the close of filing nominations.
The political parties, then proceeded to court to get the Commission to reinstate them into the December 7 election.
Should the four candidates meet tomorrow’s deadline, they will then compete for the 2016 Presidential Elections alongside Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP, President John Dramani Mahama, NDC, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, CPP, and Jacob Osei Yeboah, an independent presidential candidate.
