The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Amenfi Central Constituency in the Western Region, Joana Gyan Cudjoe, has been disqualified from the 2024 parliamentary election.
The Electoral Commission in a letter dated October 10, 2024 signed by Samuel Tettey, the Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations informed Joana Gyan Cudjoe about her disqualification based on a pending Court case.
The basis of the Court case is that Joana Gyan Cudjoe has been accused of knowingly forging her NDC party card and back-dated the same so that she would meet the four-year test prescribed in the party’s election guidelines.
It started with a native of Amenfi Central, Gyedu Frimpong, petitioning the Electoral Commission to reject the nomination forms of Joana Gyan Cudjoe.
That, he explained, was because of an injunction restraining the EC from accepting Mrs Gyan’s nomination by the High Court in Takoradi.
“We wish to make the point that by virtue of an injunction order granted against her by the High Court in Suit Number E112/36/24 Gyedu Frimpong and 4 others v Joana Cudjoe Gyan and 2 others, the acceptance of her nomination form by the EC will clearly amount to contempt of court in the pending suit,” the petition stated.
Petition details
The petition said Mrs Cudjoe contested the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary in Amenfi Central.
It said as a prerequisite to be qualified for national primary elections of the NDC, Mrs Cudjoe had to be a bearer of a national voters identification card.
“In the purview of paragraph 2 of this petition, Mrs Cudjoe was mandatorily required to endorse her voters identification number to complete the Amenfi Central Constituency nomination forms and also present a copy of the same to the regional executives,” it said.
It said the Voters’ ID presented by Mrs Cudjoe bore 11 digits contrary to the standardised 10 digits that every valid voters’ ID card was composed of, as required under the Public Election’s Regulations.
The petition said Mrs Cudjoe had two different voters ID numbers on the numbers on the membership ID card she used to complete her nomination forms (i.e. 67610125841 and 67610125891); “The voter ID number given to Joana Cudjoe is the voter ID for one Seidu Bala (6761012589) and one digit was added to the number (1).
“Again, for the avoidance of doubt, I have attached copies of the findings made by the Amenfi and Bantama constituencies of the NDC and all other supporting documents that led them to the irresistible conclusion that Madam Joan Cudjoe fraudulently forged her voter ID card number in order that she will be eligible for the NDC primaries (as an aspirant),” it said.
Law
It said it was the position of the law that a person committed a criminal offence if that person forged an official document with intent to evade the requirement of the law or to defraud another person.
“From the foregoing, all documents annexed to this petition leads every reasonable mind to the irresistible conclusion that Mrs Cudjoe forged official documents (the two voters ID numbers) that she presented to the Amenfi Constituency in order that she may be made eligible to contest the parliamentary primaries and same ought to be investigated and prosecuted,” it stressed.
The petition said it was in the interest of the Ghanaian public that people with integrity and respect for the rule of law, only, should be allowed to serve, “and as it is clearly shown, Mrs Cudjoe has clearly committed a criminal act and has to be made to face the full rigours of the law”.
EC’s disqualification
In a letter dated October 10, 2024 signed by Samuel Tettey, the Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations at the EC, Joana Gyan Cudjoe was informed about her disqualification because of the court case.
The EC explained that it was bound by the court order, which has neither been stayed nor vacated.
