The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has categorically stated that no presidential aspirant has been disqualified from the upcoming elections based on personal reasons.

The Commission clarified that the disqualification process was conducted through a thorough and rigorous process, emphasising that it did not aim to target any specific aspirant.

This statement comes amid widespread speculation and allegations that some candidates faced disqualification because the Commission is automatically biased against some of the aspirants.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, September 28, Dr Bossman Asare, the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Corporate Affairs, stated that all disqualifications were in strict adherence to established legal and constitutional guidelines.

Dr Bossman further emphasised the transparency of the disqualification process, highlighting that it was designed to ensure that all candidates meet the requirements to participate in the elections.

He also mentioned that all disqualified aspirants were provided with ample opportunities to rectify any issues related to their nominations, reinforcing the Commission’s commitment to a fair electoral process.

“When we started the nomination, the returning officer stated that the Commission has two committees, and they are a Technical Committee and an IT Committee, and they were given specific responsibilities. One of the responsibilities of the technical committee was to ensure that all the aspirants were qualified, and the IT committee was also to ensure that those who endorsed the candidates were qualified. So when you look at the announcement that was made by the chairperson from that particular perspective, the team was tasked to go through the application process and all of them were given opportunities to make corrections when necessary.”

“So at the conclusion of the exercise, we noticed that 10 people couldn’t satisfy the requirements of the commission, and we engaged in a very scientific exercise, so anybody who thinks that the Commission took a personal decision or the Commission did not like that person or the party the person is coming from, the person is making a very serious mistake,” he insisted.

The EC approved thirteen presidential candidates for the polls and disqualified 11 others. So far, two of the disqualified aspirants have sued the Electoral Commission.

Myjoyonline