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, expressing concerns over the inclusion of deceased Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) candidate, Akua Donkor.
Akpaloo argues that featuring Akua Donkor’s image on the ballot could impact the election outcome, potentially causing confusion among voters.
“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,” Akpaloo stated at a press conference on Wednesday, November 13.
He further explained, “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.”
Electoral Commission of Ghana has clarified the decision to retain the image of the late Akua Donkor on the presidential ballot paper for the 2024 presidential election.
During an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Chairperson, Jean Mensa, explained that although Akua Donkor has passed away and Philip Appiah Kubi, the replacement flagbearer for the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), has been disqualified due to errors and alleged irregularities discovered in his nomination documents, the Commission has chosen not to reorder the ballot positions to avoid delays and additional costs associated with reprinting.
“We are almost 90 percent complete with the printing of presidential ballots, and you are also aware that following the passing of Madam Akua Donkor, we requested the printing houses to cease printing until the law had taken its course.
“Now that the presidential candidate has been disqualified, the Commission wants to inform you that the positions will proceed on the current ballot as it is in the interest of time and to save this country millions of cedis,” she stated.
Akpaloo however emphasizes that a reprint would not only uphold the integrity of the ballot but also eliminate any grounds for post-election disputes tied to this issue.
He added that if a new GFP candidate had been approved, the EC would have made the necessary adjustments to the ballot, underscoring the need for similar action in light of Donkor’s passing.
Akua Donkor died on Monday, October 28, 2024, at Ridge Hospital in Accra, just weeks before the nation’s general elections.