The Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) has been disqualified from the 2024 presidential election. The printing of presidential ballot papers will now proceed without any changes. This means the positions of the presidential candidates will not change.
What this means is that, Akua Donkor’s image, party symbol will continue to be on the ballot paper at the third position.
But all ballots cast in her name will be annulled and will not count.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa made the disqualification known at an emergency Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday morning [Nov 12].
She explained that the vice-presidential candidate, Philip Appiah Kubi, commonly known as Roman Fada, who was nominated by the GFP to replace Madam Akua Donkor following her death two weeks ago did not qualify together with the vice presidential candidate he submitted to the Electoral Commission (EC).
There were some illegalities on the forms. The requirement is that, there should be two registered voters from each district endorsing the nomination form of a presidential candidate.
In this instance, when the commission examined Philip Appiah Kubi’s nomination forms, there were illegalities as he used names and details of registered voters in different districts to represent other districts.
Based on that, the commission decided to disqualify Philip Appiah Kubi of the GFP from partaking in the 2024 presidential election.
Philip Appiah Kubi works as a broadcaster at Peace FM.
He was Akua Donkor’s vice presidential candidate and following his nomination by the GFP to replace Akua Donkor, he submitted his forms to the EC last week within the window the commission gave for the GFP to nominate a replacement.
Akua Donkor who was the GFP’s presidential candidate died on October 28, 2024 at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, formerly known as Ridge Hospital.
Based on that, the EC suspended the printing of ballot papers and asked the the GFP to nominate a replacement by November 8, 2024.