Kofi Akpaloo, presidential candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), has appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to reprint the presidential ballots for the 2024 election due to the inclusion of the late Akua Donkor’s name and image. Donkor, a former presidential candidate of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), passed away recently, but her appearance on the ballot could, according to Akpaloo, mislead voters and potentially skew the election results.
At a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, November 13, Akpaloo voiced his concerns, warning of potential voter confusion. “Having a ballot paper with Akua Donkor’s picture is going to create a whole lot of problems in the country. People are going to vote for Akua Donkor, of whom we are all aware that she is not alive,” he stated. “Are we going to say that those votes cast for her will be ignored, or are they going to be counted? We don’t want a situation where a losing candidate might challenge the results because of percentages.”
Akpaloo criticized the EC’s decision not to reprint ballots, arguing that if the GFP had replaced Donkor with a new candidate, the EC would have likely adjusted the ballot accordingly. He questioned whether financial constraints were justifiable in this case, emphasizing that electoral integrity should take precedence over cost concerns. “Leaving her image on the ballot raises questions about the electoral process’s integrity and would certainly affect voter perceptions,” he argued. “The EC should forget about the money involved; let’s do the right thing to create a peaceful environment in this country.”
Akpaloo also suggested that a straightforward adjustment to the ballot layout could resolve the issue without extensive reorganization. He likened this to the parliamentary ballot process, where a position is simply removed if a party isn’t contesting in a specific constituency. “We don’t need re-balloting. If a party is not presenting a candidate in a particular constituency, that place is removed, and the lineup is adjusted. The same thing applies here,” he explained.
Although Akpaloo did not attend the recent Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting himself, he said his party’s General Secretary raised these concerns, which were ultimately dismissed by the EC. In response, he indicated he might seek legal recourse if the EC remains unresponsive.
The EC has yet to publicly respond to Akpaloo’s concerns, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming December election.
