Better luck next time – Jean Mensa tells rejected presidential hopefuls

The Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Mensa has wished all the people who failed to be approved as Presidential Candidates for this year’s election, inclduing Flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Bernard Mornah, better luck next time.

Explaining the reasons for the disqualification of some of the aspirants, Madam Mensa said that some of them had the same signatures being used for other people.

“The aspiring candidates who couldn’t we wish you better luck next time,” she said.

Bernard Mornah, while reacting to his disqualification, said he would not accept his disqualification from contesting the 2024 elections.

He says the EC has no basis for disqualifying him because all the errors identified on his forms were corrected.

Speaking on News Central on TV3 on Friday, September 20, he said “It is a terrible afternoon but you can be assured that I am a fighter and I will fight this to the end, I will not accept this kind of disrespect and we will not accept the fact that the electoral commission does not want to play according to the rules. The EC received our forms on 13th of September. By 12PM we had submitted our nomination forms and at 6:35 AM on Saturday I got a call from one Samuel Quoao, I don’t know him, he said he had sent a letter from the EC that there were some anomalies with the forms. I counted about seven different pages and the  EC claimed that we have some anomalies. I immediately sent that the forms should be picked in accordance with the EC’s directive and the forms were completed on Saturday and returned. Mr Quauo called that our forms had been rectified.

“I have been waiting patiently to print my materials urging my PCs across the country to print. Then yesternight I received a call from from a close friend that the EC said we had problems with our forms. I said we will rectify.”

The Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday, September 20 cleared thirteen candidates and declared them eligible to contest the December polls.

Out of the 24 presidential candidates who filed nominations last week, Bernard Monarh is amongst 11 candidates who have been disqualified by the EC. Most of the candidates disqualified are Independent candidates.

“Following the successful conduct of the Filing of Nominations from the 9th of September to the 13th of September, 2024, the Commission instituted a thorough examination of the Nomination Forms submitted by the Candidates to ensure conformity with requirements as set out in law,” the press release announced.

 

Bernard Monarh further disclosed that his lawyers had written to the EC demanding a reason for his disqualification.

Bernard Monarh further described the EC’s statement announcing the eligible candidates as “bogus.”

According to him, he was contacted by the EC to make some corrections in his forms which he did but never received any feedback until the statement was released on Friday, September 20.

The former General Secretary of the People’s National Convention was elected flagbearer of the party on September 8 to represent the party in the December 7 general elections.

Following his election, he filed his nomination at the EC’s office last week and expressed his confidence that the PNC would make a notable impact in the upcoming elections.