The founder and leader of the yet to be registered political party, All People’s Congress ( APC), Dr Hassan Ayariga has insisted that his party has done everything legally right for the Electoral Commission (EC) to issue it with a provisional certificate as the law stipulates.
“In our view, it is rather the EC that has delayed in issuing us with our party provisional certificate,” he told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview yesterday.
On Wednesday evening, the EC said it had not registered any new political parties this year.
This was in contrary to media reports that a new political party, the APC had been formed.
Requirements
In a press release, the EC stated “persons who apply for registration of political parties have several requirements which must be met under the Political Parties Act 2000 (Act 574). Until these requirements have been met and a party has been issued with a final registration certificate, the party seeking registration cannot conduct its activities as a political party.”
“The Commission is accordingly advising and reminding applicants that it is against the provisions of Act 574 to canvass for votes until the party has been issued with a final registration certificate,” the statement signed by Mr Christian Owusu-Parry, Ag. Director, Public Affairs for the Commission, stated.
The statement concluded that political actors and the general public would be guided accordingly.
APC on course
It will be recalled that media reports were rife that a former presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr Ayariga, has formed a new party, the All People’s Congress.
Contrary to this claim, per the EC’s statement, the APC will have to wait for a licence from the commission before it can begin campaigning ahead of elections later this year.
But when the Daily Graphic contacted Dr Ayariga, he explained that the APC sent an application letter to the commission on December 17, 2015 and subsequently collected all party registration forms and had since submitted the endorsed forms back to the EC.
“As we speak, APC has satisfied the whole law—Political Party Act—and gone ahead to furnish the EC with a list of over 170 district officers, excluding regional offices, as well as the party’s constitution,” he declared.
Dr Ayariga is, however, optimistic of getting the provisional certificate by next week to enable the APC function fully as a political party ready to contest the 2016 election.
Source: graphic.com.gh
