Kwesi Busumbru, leader of the People’s Action Party (PAP), has criticized the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision, stating that the EC has consistently failed to uphold the law, and their recent directive requiring previously delisted candidates to run as independents in the 2024 presidential election is yet another example of their disregard for the legal framework.
Kwesi Busumbru pointed out that the Electoral Commission has circumvented the constitutional right of citizens aged 25 and above to form political parties, by pushing through a Legal Instrument in parliament that effectively disenfranchises smaller parties and rigs the electoral system.
“The constitution should precede the Legal Instrument. Why do they [EC] come out with illegalities to disqualify smaller parties who spoke truth to power? To me, it is rigged, the whole system in Ghana is rigged. Look, Alan Kyerematen will be disqualified, Cheddar will be disqualified. Because they will come out and say…things like ‘you did not get enough endorsement’. The report they gave to me was, ‘You didn’t get two people to endorse you’”.
Kwesi Busumbru
Furthermore, he emphasized that despite any explanations or justifications offered by the Electoral Commission, the reality is that the process they employ is inherently biased and designed to unfairly disqualify smaller political parties, effectively rigging the system against them.
He asserted that the Electoral Commission’s disqualification of smaller parties paved the way for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which he considers the “worst party”, to ascend to power, implying that the EC’s actions facilitated an undeserving party’s rise to governance.
He observed that, as he had forecasted, the current NPP administration has yielded the most inept President and Vice President in Ghana’s history, as well as a Finance Minister who has demonstrated gross mismanagement of the economy, leading to repeated recourse to the IMF for financial assistance.
He condemned the audacity of Dr. Bawumia’s bid to become the NPP’s flagbearer, given his complicity in the government’s economic mismanagement, which has precipitated a catastrophic economic crisis in Ghana, making his candidacy a brazen display of shamelessness.
“That Bawumia should be in jail, in most countries he will be in jail for causing financial loss to the state”- Kwesi Busumbru
Kwesi Busumbru Vows to Contest 2024 Election
Furthermore, Kwesi Busumbru declared that he is determined to participate in the 2024 presidential election, and he will explore all available options to ensure his candidacy, vowing to prevent the EC from employing any illegal tactics to disqualify him.
He alleged that the political establishment exploits legalized loopholes to deliberately disenfranchise smaller political parties, which have the potential to bring about positive change, to maintain the dominance of the two major parties, the NDC and NPP, and perpetuate their grip on power.
“You remember I…spoke about we being bankrupt [and that] we will go to IMF and Nana Addo will go down as the worst president in our history and Ken Ofori Atta will be the worst Finance Minister. And guess what, the following day, I was disqualified. I was taken out of the election”.
Kwesi Busumbru
He claimed that Ghana needs a politically educated leader like himself to govern the country for the first time in its history. “Not some crazy lawyer who has no clue about how to run the economy”, he added.
He expressed confidence in his ability to lead the country, pledging that his first act as President would be to repeal the indemnity clause in the Constitution, signaling a commitment to accountability and transparency in governance.
He pointed out that the indemnity clause is the legal loophole that allows political parties to plunder the economy with impunity, leaving citizens without recourse or redress for the damage inflicted on the country.
“Everybody should be held accountable for their actions”. – Kwesi Busumbru
As such, he emphasized that the President and Vice President, who have presided over the collapse of the economy, judicial system, and education system, must be held accountable for their actions and should not be allowed to escape responsibility without consequences.
“That is why I will campaign to make sure we have a referendum that the indemnity clause should be replaced”. – Kwesi Busumbru
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