The photo album will not be used by the National Democratic Congress for its Saturday, May 13, presidential and parliamentary primaries.
Fifi Kwetey, the NDC’s General Secretary, told the media on Friday that the party had opted to solely use the delegates list for the polls on Saturday. All delegates must cast their votes using a reliable voter’s ID card, according to Mr. Kwetey. He promised that everything needed for the primaries to run smoothly, has been distributed around the nation.
One of the three candidates for president, Dr. Duffuor, requested a court order on Tuesday, prohibiting the party from holding the poll. In his writ, he expressed his worries about alleged inconsistencies in the party’s electoral roll and the party’s unwillingness to promptly give his team access to the photo album.
However, the former Finance Minister abandoned his lawsuit on Friday in order to settle the problems internally. The case was subsequently dismissed by the court.
Elections are currently postponed in the Manhyia South seat, but are anticipated to take place in 274 other constituencies on Saturday. The election on Saturday is expected to draw more than 366,000 delegates, and 739 candidates are running for office.
47 parliamentary candidates are anticipated to face no opposition in the elections this Saturday, according to Mr. Kwetey.
However, the presidential and parliamentary primaries of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) may hit a snag again, as a fresh injunction application has been slapped against the party. This occurs just after one of its flagbearer contenders, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, withdrew an earlier injunction application he had submitted.
The NDC, its General Secretary, the National Chairman, and the Electoral Commission are the defendants in the lawsuit. It has not yet been established whether the new application has been served to the party.
Edgar Asamoah Boateng, the plaintiff, claims that the party has failed to meet the requirements set forth in its constitution for the 2024 general election. He adds that the NDC has been issuing contradictory instructions on the issuance of a register, among other things, and that this is adding to the uncertainty surrounding the credibility of the upcoming elections.
According to Mr. Boateng, the party’s refusal to offer a thorough and reliable photo album register to presidential and parliamentary candidates ahead of time for verification, suggests a strategy to gain an unfair edge for manipulating the primaries for those offices.
“Plaintiff says that the failure to provide a proper photo album of eligible voters has caused a lot of rancor and acrimony in the party. Plaintiff says that all attempts to obtain a proper photo register or album has fallen on deaf ears and all indications are that the impending internal party elections would be a disaster”, parts of the writ said.
What Caused Kwabena Duffuor To Withdraw His Lawsuit Against The NDC Primaries?
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer candidate Dr. Kwabena Duffuor’s campaign team has provided an explanation as to why they abandoned their lawsuit against the party’s internal elections scheduled, for Saturday, May 13.
The complaint was dropped, according to the Duffuor camp, when the NDC’s Council of Elders gave guarantees that it would address earlier issues voiced. However, according to the team, Dr. Duffuor is still devoted to ensuring that the NDC enters the primaries with a reliable voter list.
Dr. Duffuor’s spokesperson, Antonio Edem Asinyo, stated in an interview: “As you are aware, since the suit was filed, several stakeholders engaged Dr. Duffuor and an assurance was given that some Council of Elders will engage him to be able to resolve the issues of concerns about the photo album. So amicably, based on that, Dr. Duffuor decided to withdraw the case so that we can resolve the issue in-house. But he’s committed to ensuring that the NDC goes into the election with a credible album. We hope and pray issues raised will be resolved.”
Antonio Edem Asinyo added that they appeared in court because “several letters written to the party to address our concerns were ignored. He exhausted all internal structures, which means somebody slept on his/her job. Dr. Duffuor is not mean a person, he’s an accomplished person who cannot be overlooked.”
READ ALSO: NDC Primaries: EC Will Meet With NDC Leadership To Discuss Overseeing Primaries
