Joana Fights EC Over Her Disqualification

Joana Gyan Cudjoe, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary nominee for Amenfi Central Constituency for the December 2024 general polls has gone to court to challenge a decision of the Electoral Commission to disqualify her candidature.

Joana is joined by the NDC as plaintiffs and they have together filed a writ to injunct the Electoral Commission from going ahead to print the Notice of Poll for the Amenfi Central December 2024 Parliamentary Election, and also going ahead to print the ballot papers for the same election until the substantive matter has been dealt with.

The motion was filed on Thursday, October 17, 2024, a day after it emerged that the EC in a letter dated October 10, 2024 had informed Joana Gyan Cudjoe that she has been disqualified from the Parliamentary race.

The NDC has expressed strong reservations at the supposed disqualification of Joana and questioned the basis of the EC’s decision.

Party General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey did not mince words when he addressed the issue:
“The EC in an astonishing display of incompetence, recklessness and bad faith had gone ahead to disqualify Joana Gyan Cudjoe. Their actions are based on the premise of an expired injunction, that is no longer application.

“On what basis did you disqualify Joana Gyan, and on what legal grounds did you justify this disqualification? Are you so blinded by partisanship?

“This is not legally unsound, but deeply dangerous for the future of our democracy. We annulled the earlier injunction… This is nothing short of a travesty of justice, a violation of the rights of our candidate, and the rights of the violation of the people of Amenfi Central.

“The decision to disqualify Joan Cudjoe is legally baseless, morally indefensible and a slap in the face of our democratic principle. They [EC] must explain to Ghanaians this blatant miscarriage of justice.”