Several presidential candidates made their official bid for the December 2024 elections by submitting their nomination forms on Monday, September 9, 2024.
Among the candidates were Dr.
Hassan Ayariga, representing the All People's Congress (APC), Samuel Apea-Danquah of Yellow Ghana, and independent candidate George Twum Barima Adu.
Notably, Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as Cheddar, joined them in filing his nomination at the Electoral Commission's (EC) office.
Kofi Akpaloo, the leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) also filed his nomination forms.
Mr Akpaloo who is not new to the presidential race in Ghana is once again putting himself up to lead Ghana.
Dr.
Hassan Ayariga, after submitting his forms, reflected on the past, particularly his disqualification in 2016 under former EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei.
He cited what he believed were politically motivated inconsistencies in his signature that led to his disqualification at the time, pointing out that signatures naturally differ and should not have been used against him.
Ayariga expressed satisfaction with the current EC, stating, "In 2016, the disqualification was based on differences in signature and I wrote to Madam Charlotte then that signatories were not rubber stamps that you can have it perfectly, people are bound to make some curves in their signatory, and you cannot use that to disqualify people." Ayariga voiced his support for the current leadership of the EC, stating, "I was vindicated by my statement against her and that's why she is not the EC Chair again and we have a new one.
We are here to support any Commissioner to make sure that Ghana is a better place for us, and that we elect a free, fair and transparent president, this process should be fair, it's already free and should be fair and transparent." Earlier in the day, Dr.
Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, also filed his nomination.
Accompanied by his wife, Samira Bawumia, and running mate Dr.
Matthew Opoku Prempeh, along with other party executives, Bawumia submitted his bid with hopes of continuing his party's leadership.
The day was expected to conclude with former President and National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, submitting his nomination as he vies for a return to the presidency in the upcoming elections.
As the race heats up, all candidates hope for a transparent and fair election process, with many keeping an eye on the pivotal December contest.