The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reiterated its call for the Electoral Commission (EC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to desist from transferring its parliamentary candidate for Assin North, Charles Opoku, to the voter register.
The NDC alleged in a statement on Sunday that the NPP and the EC were trying to include Opoku, who is not a registered voter in the constituency, on the voter register.
The NPP dismissed the allegation in a counter statement, while the EC also refuted any collusion with the NPP to transfer Opoku’s name to the voter register.
In a statement on June 5, the NDC maintained that the EC and the NPP’s attempts to nominate Opoku, who is not a registered voter in Assin North, were unlawful and must stop.
“The good people of Assin North deserve to know the truth that Charles Opoku who is seeking to represent them in Parliament on behalf of the NPP is not a registered voter in Assin North,” the NDC said.
The party added that “under Article 94 of the Constitution, which both the EC and NPP have copiously referenced, one must be a registered voter to be eligible to contest as a Member of Parliament. It does not take a legal luminary to understand that this constitutional requirement is meant for a candidate to have a voting right and interest in an election before he can contest and be voted for in that election.”
The NDC stressed that it was only following the clear provisions of EC’s own nomination forms and their own C.I 127.
“The NDC is only adhering to EC’s own nomination forms and their own C.I 127. Enough of deception by NPP and their collaborators in Electoral Commission,” NDC asserted in its statement.
The Assin North by-election is scheduled for June 27 after Supreme Court’s ruling in May that James Gyakye Quayson’s name be removed from Parliament as Member of Parliament for Assin North.
Parliament then removed his name declaring seat vacant paving way for by-election on June 27.
Supreme Court ruled that Mr Quayson was not qualified to contest 2020 parliamentary elections in Assin North Constituency at time he filed his nomination forms on October 9 2020.
