Samuel Apea-Danquah Sues Electoral Commission Over Presidential Race Disqualification

An independent presidential aspirant and founder of Yellow Ghana, Samuel Apea-Danquah, has sued the Electoral Commission over his disqualification from contesting the presidential race.

Apea-Danquah was among 11 candidates the EC disqualified over alleged irregularities in their nomination forms. He is currently in court over the decision, having filed a suit last Thursday, October 10, seeking a judicial review.

In the suit, Apea-Danquah is seeking an order of certiorari to quash the EC's decision and declare his disqualification unfair. He's also praying for a mandamus order to compel the EC to reinstate him as a candidate in the 2024 general elections.

Apea-Danquah's is not the only case. Others who were excluded, such as Bernard Anbataayela Mornah of the People's National Convention (PNC) and Kofi Asamoah-Siaw of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), filed legal petitions. In each case, the candidate was contesting that he was not awarded a place on the ballot as his exclusion from the electoral list was unjustified.

The disqualification of candidates has raised debate about the perceived fairness and transparency of the vetting process by the EC. The critics have urged the EC to give equal opportunities to all candidates to afford them every chance of meeting requirements before decisions on disqualification are made.