PNC to Challenge EC in Court over Bernard Mornah’s Disqualification
The People’s National Convention (PNC) has firmly rejected the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to disqualify its Presidential candidate, Bernard Anbaayatela Mornah, from the 2024 elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Friday, Mornah condemned the disqualification as baseless and vowed to challenge the ruling in court.
Addressing party members and the media, Mornah described the EC’s actions as a “sham” and part of a broader scheme to sideline him from the presidential race.
He insisted that the PNC would fight the decision, which he labeled a “travesty of justice.”
Jean Mensa, the EC Chair, explained that Mornah’s disqualification was due to errors in the PNC’s nomination forms.
However, Mornah questioned the credibility of the EC’s rationale, pointing to past errors made by the Commission. He referenced the EC’s erroneous declaration of election results five times during the 2020 elections, for which no accountability was enforced.
Mornah also highlighted inconsistencies in the EC’s own documentation, citing a specific instance where the Commission mistakenly used the word “six” instead of “sex” on its forms.
He accused the EC of frequently making mistakes, including during the exhibition of the voter’s register, without facing consequences.
Despite this setback, Mornah urged PNC supporters to remain calm and patient, assuring them that the party leadership would pursue all available legal remedies to reverse what he termed an “illegal” disqualification.
“I’ve worked with Jean Mensa since her time at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). She knows me well, but look at how she fumbled to pronounce my name.
It feels like there’s pressure on her to disqualify me,” Mornah remarked. He expressed confidence that the PNC would be reinstated on the ballot.
PNC’s Official Response to the EC’s Press Release
In an official statement issued on September 20, 2024, the PNC confirmed that they had received communication from the EC regarding Mornah’s disqualification. According to the EC, the PNC’s Presidential nomination was invalidated due to “several errors and omissions” in the submitted forms, despite giving the party an opportunity to rectify the mistakes.
The PNC refuted the EC’s claims, stating that the party had received the request for corrections on September 13, 2024, and promptly resubmitted the corrected forms on September 14. Since then, the party had received no further communication from the EC until the disqualification notice was made public.
The PNC emphasized that it had followed all procedural requirements and strongly disagreed with the reasons cited for the disqualification. The party’s legal team has already engaged with the EC and is prepared to take the matter to court to seek justice.
The PNC remains optimistic that Bernard Mornah will be reinstated as a Presidential candidate in the 2024 elections and has called on party members to remain law-abiding as the legal process unfolds.
Signed:
Bernard Mornah,
Presidential Candidate and Leader, PNC
20th September 2024
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