Source: newsthemegh.com
In the Kumawu By-election in the Ashanti Region, the Electoral Commission (EC) has given an explanation of why it selected a symbol (logo) for one of the two independent candidates.
According to the Commission, it did not allow the notice of election in which the two independent candidates shared the same name, appearance, and election-related emblem [bird].
The Commission claims that the two independent candidates with the same name, Kwaku Duah, provided the Commission’s district officer in Kumawu with pictures of themselves in Kente and a picture of a bird as their symbol.
“Based on this, a draft Notice of Poll was developed and presented to the Commission for approval, bearing a photograph of the Independent Candidates who shared the same names, dress, and emblems.
“It was neither gazetted nor approved by the Commission. Only once a Notice of Poll is gazetted does it acquire legal and binding status. The copy that’s going around on social media wasn’t actually gazetted. In a statement dated May 21, 2023, EC stated that “it was merely a draft reflecting the images and symbols given to the District Officer.
The EC added, “When this anomaly came to the notice of the Commission, the second Independent Candidate was advised to change his symbol since he was the last to submit his Nomination Form.”
The second independent candidate was allegedly asked to change his symbol, but he refused, forcing the EC to use Regulation 14(1)(b) and (c) of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, C.I. 127, which permits the EC to use its own discretion to choose a symbol for a candidate in such a situation.
Today, May 23, is set aside as the day for the Kumawu By-election.
The by-election is in response to the passing of Philip Basoah, a member of parliament (MP) for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who was buried on Saturday.