"You can't sit there and disqualify me"! Furious candidate swears at EC boss

The flagbearer of the Independent People's Party (IPP) Kofi Akpaloo is furious with the Electoral Commission Chair for daring to disqualify him from contesting the 2016 elections in December.

Mr Akpaloo is one of 13 aspirants, including, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who had their ambition of becoming president aborted even before the race for the elections begins.

Like others, the IPP flagbearer was disqualified because one of the persons who subscribed his forms was said to have subscribed the form of another aspirant.

By EC's regulations the aspirants were expected to have two persons from each district subscribing to their forms as part of the requirements of a presidential candidate.

But some of the party's flagbearers failed to meet that basic criteria, the EC chair declared, Monday hours after she had received their filing fees.

Mrs Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the National Democratic Party for the second successive time failed to meet the filing criteria and was disqualified.

So too was Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive Peoples Party who was disqualified because one of his subscribers, Richard Aseda, endorsed his forms as a representative and voter in the Volta Region  and at the same time as a voter in the Central Region.

By law, it is impossible for one person to be said to be representing two electoral areas.

Kofi Akpaloo of the IPP had his forms endorsed by a subscriber who also endorsed the form for another candidate, a gaffe which led to his disqualification.

Speaking to Joy News' Evans Mensah, the IPP's disqualified aspirant said the EC chair cannot arrogate to herself powers she doesn't have.

Whilst admitting there was an "error" committed, error which he blamed on oversight, Kofi Akpaloo said it cannot be the basis for a disqualification.

"The EC is trying to get some of us out," he said adding, "She can't sit there tell us we are disqualified,"

He has threatened to go to court to challenge the decision taken by Mrs Charlotte Osei.

He stated that the reason for his qualification is watery, insisting that error could easily have happened to the NDC and the NPP candidates.

Kofi Akpaloo also accused the EC chair of favoritism and challenged the EC chair to make public the forms submitted by the two flagbearers for scrutiny.

He also found it ridiculous how the flagbearer of the CPP would be given the opportunity to contest even though he submitted his filing fee well after the deadline.

Meanwhile, only four aspirants, John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party, Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People's Party and and Independent candidate were certified to contest in the 2016 elections.

Source: myjoyonline.com