Kwaku Duah, a two-time Independent Candidate for the Kumawu constituency has disclosed that the other candidate who joined the upcoming by-election with same details as his is his own brother.
He says he is surprised his own brother has allowed himelf to be influenced by another political party to neutralise his votes after securing over 11,000 votes as independent candidate against the late Basoah’s own which was below 15,000.
He was speaking on GhanaAkoma morning show with Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin on AkomaFM Monday, May 22, 2023, emphasising that nobody can influence his resolve to contest the seat with any amount of money.
He noted he is not the least perturbed about the development even though that person is being sponsored by one of the contesting political parties just to split his potential votes to cause his defeat.
“The other Kwaku who is my family member has been enticed by other group or individuals who wants him to lose,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EC has clarified a notice of poll that was making rounds on social media on the upcoming by-election by describing it as fake.
The said notice has two independent candidates bearing same name, Kwaku Duah, both wearing kente cloth with a dove as their symbol, even though the last candidate’s is a skeletal version of the other.
But the EC has explained in a statement issued Sunday, May 21, 2023, that the said image making rounds on social media was a proposed notice submitted to its outfit for approval by the district office.
The Commission says the notice was neither approved nor gazetted and should be disregarded by the public.
“The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to a Notice of Poll circulating on social media purporting to be that of the Kumawu By-Election. The Notice of Poll has the photos of two Independent Candidates, wearing kente cloth. The said Candidates have the symbol of a bird.
“For the information of the Public, both Independent Candidates presented photographs of themselves in kente and a picture of a bird as their symbol to our District Officer in Kumawu. Based on this, a draft Notice of Poll, bearing the photograph of the Independent Candidates with similar names, attires and symbols was prepared and submitted to the Commission for approval.
“When this anomaly came to the notice of the Commission, the second Independent Candidate
was advised to change his symbol since he was the last to submit his Nomination Form. He refused to do so causing the Commission to apply Regulation 14(1) (b) and (c) of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, C.I. 127 which states as follows: The Commission has assigned him the symbol of a hoe which is reflected in the Notice of Poll posted throughout Kumawu,” the EC clarified in its statement.
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ernest Yaw Anim is first on the ballot followed by the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) Kwasi Amankwaa, before the two independent candidates in that order for the Tuesday, May 23, by-election.
The by-election takes place to replace the former Member of Parliament, Philip Basoah, who died in March and was buried Saturday, May 20.
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