The National Communication Officer for NDC, Sammy Gyamfi is alleging that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) are planning to insert the name of an unqualified candidate into Assin North Voters’ register.
In a statement, the NDC’s Communication Officer indicated that the illegal move is to aid one Charles Opoku to contest in the NPP Parliamentary primaries in selecting their candidate for the upcoming Assin North by-election.
“The National Democratic Congress has become aware of a plot by the ruling New Patriotic Party, acting in cahoots with their collaborators in the Electoral Commission to transfer and insert the name of one Charles Opoku, into the Voters Register of the Assin North constituency. This illegal move is to aid the said Charles Opoku to contest in the NPP Parliamentary primaries to select a candidate for the upcoming Assin North by-election.
“Our unimpeachable sources have revealed that contrary to the clear requirement on the nomination form for the Assin North by-election, which demands that a candidate in the election must be a registered voter in Assin North, the said Charles Opoku is not a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency,” Mr. Gyamfi stated.
He continued: “It is instructive to note that according to Regulation 22 of the Public Elections Regulations 2020 (C.I 127), voter transfer can only be effected for an ordinary citizen not less than 42 days to a public election. More importantly, transfer applications can only be made to the Returning Officer of a public election. Given the fact that, se have less than 42 days to the by-election in Assin North, and a Returning Officer is yet to be appointed for same, any transfer of voters to Assin North will be unlawful and same shall be fiercely rejected by the NDC.”
“We are closely monitoring this situation and shall take every legitimate step to ensure that this illegal plot is not perpetrated by the Electoral Commission and their collaborators in the NPP,” Mr. Gyamfi concluded.
Background
Parliament of Ghana through the Clerk to Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah has written to the Electoral Commission (EC) of the occurrence of a vacancy in the Assin North Constituency.
In a release dated May 31, 2023 the Electoral Commissioner, Jean Adukwei Mensah announced June 27, 2023 for the Assin North for a by-election.
She indicated that nominations will be received at the Assin North District Office of the Commission from Monday the 12th of June 2023 to Wednesday, the 14th of June, 2023 between the hours of 9:00am to 2:00pm to 5:00pm on each day.
The filing fee for the election is ten thousand Ghana cedis (GHC10,000.00) per candidate.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
