Jail Awaits Jean Mensah Under My Presidency – independent candidate

Independent presidential Candidate for the 2020 election, Kofi Koranteng has served notice that if he is voted for to become President, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Adukwe Mensa will go to jail.

In a reaction to the EC’s announcement of a whopping Ghc100,000 as the filing fees for Presidential Candidate, Mr. Koranteng said the EC, which he said had been failing miserably at its constitutional mandate had no right to try to disqualify some people with a steep filing fee.

“The EC is already in violation of its own laws and yet wants to torment independent presidential candidates who have expressed interest in contesting. Tell Mrs. Jean Mensa to increase it to GH¢1 million, Ghanaians will still support independent candidates to contest and when they win, she would be removed from office and be arraigned before a court to explain why she acted unlawfully. She should be ready. Tell her,” he said on Accra-based Rainbow Radio.

The reaction comes after the EC boss announced that the filing fee for Presidential Candidates contesting the 2020 elections is a whopping Ghc100,000 (I billion old cedis).

Critics have raised suspicions that the EC is trying to make Ghana’s democracy an auction for the highest bidder. The Ghc100, 000 is one hundred per cent increment over the previous elections filing fee which was set at Ghc50, 000.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Candidates are to pay Ghc10, 000 as filing fee.

The prohibitive filing fees is certainly set to disqualify smaller parties and leave the contest to the main political parties, particularly the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“The EC has blatantly set a fee to prevent people from contesting. This is unconstitutional and discriminatory. I am sad that the EC has failed to listen to sound reasoning and opinions shared by people about the filing fee. They should sit there and pretend that they are not concerned about the concerns expressed by Ghanaians,” Mr. Kofi Koranteng said.

He also slammed the EC for failing to compel the bigger parties to file their audited accounts.