The campaign team for NDC flagbearer aspirant, Goosie Tanoh, have insisted that their candidate is not withdrawing from race although he failed to pick up nomination forms to contest in the presidential primaries before the Tuesday deadline.
The campaign team in a statement following the closure of nominations on Tuesday expressed regret over what it described as a total disregard for the party’s constitution by its National Executive Committee (NEC).
According to Goosie Tanoh’s campaign team, the current processes towards the upcoming presidential primaries are illegal and the guidelines to some extent violate aspects of the 1992 constitution.
While accusing the NEC of arbitrarily taking decisions without due consultation, the team say they will fight for the right thing to be done.
“None of the foregoing means in any way that our candidate is withdrawing from the race. Rather than participate in an unlawful electoral arrangement that tramples the rights of millions of Party members, O4GH will continue to fight for the empowerment of ordinary branch members and the accountability of NEC and other higher Party organs to Party members through our presidential campaign,” Goosie Tanoh’s campaign team said in the statement.
At the close of nominations, only five out of the ten presidential aspirants had picked forms to contest in the primaries.
Those who failed to pick forms are Ekow Spio Garbrah, Nurideen Iddrissu, Goosie Tanoh, Kojo Bonsu and Elikplim Agbemava.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has indicated that the party will not extend the date for picking of nomination forms despite protests from some aspirants over the high cost of nomination forms and filing fees.
Meanwhile, five other aspirants, namely John Mahama, Alban Bagbin, Joshua Alabi, Sylvester Mensah, and Stephen Atubiga, have picked up their forms.
Alban Bagbin, Atubiga and Joshua Alabi, were signatories to the petition over the high cost of filing fees and nomination forms, but still went ahead to pick up the forms.
It remains to be seen whether the concerns raised in the petition would be addressed, and a new opportunity given for Spio Garbrah and others to pick up their forms.
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By: Jonas Nyabor | citinewsroom.com | Ghana
