The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a scathing response to the recent press statement by the Jean Mensah-led Electoral Commission (EC) regarding the eligibility of an unqualified New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for the Assin North constituency.

In their press release, the NDC criticized the claims and arguments put forth by the EC, accusing them of defective logic and attempting to rationalize their past illegal conduct.

According to the NDC's National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, the EC's press statement is farcical and demonstrates a lack of understanding of their own criteria and basic English language skills. Gyamfi emphasized that it should be clear to anyone with an educated mind that the phrase “of the same Constituency” in Part 1 of the EC's nomination form for the Assin North by-election refers to the candidate being nominated, not the nominees themselves.

To dispel any doubts, Gyamfi quoted the provision in question: “We the undersigned registered voters in [Constituency] do hereby nominate [Candidate's Name] ‘of the same constituency' to stand for election as a Member of Parliament, and we hereby certify that to the best of our knowledge he/she is qualified to be elected as such.”

Expressing disappointment, Gyamfi accused the Jean Mensah-led EC of allowing their palpable bias to cloud their judgment and interpretation of this straightforward provision in their own document. He argued that the phrase “of the same constituency” unambiguously refers to the candidate being nominated, highlighting that it requires the nominators of a parliamentary candidate to be from the same constituency as the candidate.

Gyamfi went on to criticize the EC's attempt to rationalize their illegal conduct by citing similar instances in previous elections. He firmly stated that the principle of estoppel cannot negate illegality and emphasized that a multitude of illegalities cannot be construed as legality. The NDC representative firmly rejected the notion that the EC's past failures or neglect should grant them the leeway to perpetuate such wrongs.

Citing Regulation 6(3) of the EC's own Public Election Regulations, 2020 (C.I 127) and the nomination form for the Assin North by-election published by the EC on June 1, 2023, Gyamfi reiterated that the NDC is adhering to clear provisions. He urged the EC to amend the law if they have an issue with the interpretation presented by the NDC and called for an end to what he described as a “nauseating comedy” that the EC is displaying to the Ghanaian people.