The leader and flagbearer of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo, has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to reprint the presidential ballot papers for the 2024 elections.
He expressed concerns about the inclusion of Akua Donkor, the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) candidate who had passed away, stating that maintaining her image could influence the result of the election.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, November 13, Mr Akpaloo said that if a new flagbearer for the GFP had been authorised to stand, the Commission would have reprinted the ballots to reflect this change.
He argued that such a measure would not only safeguard the credibility of the election process but also help to avert any potential confusion among voters, ensuring that they are fully informed and able to cast their votes without uncertainty.
“Having a ballot paper with Akua Donkor’s picture is going to create a whole lot of problems in the country. People are going to vote for Akua Donkor, of whom we are all aware that she is not alive.
“So how are they going to do the counting because, with the presidential polls, we do the calculations based on the percentage garnered by each candidate,” he said.
He added; “Are we going to say that those votes that were cast for her will be taken off the ballot or are they going to be counted?
“We don’t want a situation whereby a losing candidate will say he will not accept the results because of percentages, and so we are asking the EC to reprint new ballot papers without Akua Donkor’s picture on them.”
Meanwhile, the EC has disqualified Philip Appiah Kubi, the replacement flagbearer for the GFP, due to errors and alleged irregularities discovered in his nomination documents.
EC Chair Jean Mensa made this announcement during a press conference on Tuesday, 12 November, emphasising that the disqualification followed a careful review of the party’s submission.
Jean Mensa noted that although the EC provided the GFP with an opportunity to rectify the issues, certain irregularities could not be ignored.
Despite the GFP’s efforts to address some of the discrepancies, Madam Mensa explained that elements of Mr Kubi’s documentation were found to be “illegitimate” under the nation’s electoral laws, leading to his disqualification from the upcoming election.