The Electoral Commission (EC) has been accused by a disqualified independent presidential candidate for the 2024 elections, Desmond Kwame Abrefah, for unlawfully removing him from the race.
Mr Abrefah stated that the EC reached out to him after he submitted his nomination forms, requesting that he rectify what they termed as “incomplete forms.” However, he contends that the grounds for his disqualification contradict the EC’s original guidance.
“I picked and filed my nominations, and the EC called and sent me a letter indicating that certain parts of my forms were incomplete, so I had to complete them.
“The EC made a mistake in their letter because they used the wrong adjective. They referred to ‘incomplete records of supporters’ on pages 7, 9, 53, and 36, which we corrected. But then, they told the public I was disqualified for providing ‘wrong information.’ How can ‘incomplete’ and ‘wrong information’ have the same meaning?” he questioned in a media interview on September 23, 2024.
Abrefah argues that the Electoral Commission‘s failure to use the correct terminology in their communications renders his disqualification unlawful, and he suspects a hidden agenda behind it due to the inconsistencies in the EC’s messages.
He is now urging the EC to promptly review its decision or risk legal action from his lawyers in the coming weeks.
Additionally, he voiced his frustration at finding out about his disqualification through the media, especially after the election balloting had already occurred.
Abrefah characterized the treatment he received as both unfair and unjust.