The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Adukwei Mensa, is disappointed that the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama did not file his nomination in person.
According to Mrs. Mensa, it was the Commission’s hope that Mr. Mahama would have presented his nomination forms to the EC himself. This, she said, would have afforded the commission an opportunity to engage him so as to address concerns the former president and his party have raised publicly about the electoral process.
The Chairperson of EC said this when the General Secretary of NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah filed nomination papers of Mr. Mahama on his behalf at the EC’s headquarters today, October 7, 2020.
“As a commission, we would have wished that the Flagbearer of the NDC, former president John Dramani Mahama and/his vice presidential candidate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang would have been here personally to present their nomination forms as it would have allowed as an opportunity to engage particularly with the former president on some of his concerns he has noted in the media, “ Madam Jeans started.
Nonetheless, Madam Jean Mensa welcomed the NDC’s secretary and his entourage to the commission. She noted that the filing of nomination is an integral part of the electoral processes stating that the EC could not proceed to conduct an election if nominations are not filed.
“However, we welcome you both warmly to the commission this afternoon. This afternoon, we assembled here for one of the most important processes in our electoral calendar. In deed, without this activity, the Commission cannot run elections,” she added.
Former president had indicated his inability to file the forms in person yesterday, October 6, 2020 on social media disclosing that the General Secretary of his party would present his forms on his behalf.
The opposition leader and his party have raised various concerns with the electoral processes. Mr. Mahama last month cut short his tour of the Bono Region and returned to Accra to register his party’s discomfort with what they termed the many irregularities with the Voters’ register.
On September 24, 2020, he addressed a press conference on the integrity of the electoral register where he stated that his party would not accept the results of a “flawed” elections.
