Ghana’s Majority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has lauded the Electoral Commission (EC), for insisting that presidential and parliamentary aspirants declare their assets to be eligible to contest in the elections.
According to him, the decision will help in the fight against corruption in the public sector. Mr. Bagbin was speaking to the media, after filing his nomination for his seventh bid, to represent the Nadowli-Kaleo constituency in parliament.
He said, “as a people, we have decided that we are going to expose and combat corruption because we know the effect of corruption on the living standards of humanity.”
Highlighting the law, Mr. Bagbin noted that, “we have made it as a mandatory requirement that any person of a senior standing trying to lead Ghanaians to serve must first let us know what you have.
At the end of your office, you must let us know what you have again so that we can say that during the period that you were serving us, this is what you acquired.” The measures in place not withstanding, Mr. Bagbin said more could be done to improve the transparency of the process.
According to him, “the process is not too open, it is not transparent. But the law as it is; says that you declare to the Auditor General in a sealed envelope and it is stored in the Auditor General’s office. It is only when there is a legal case in court that through the process, you can request for it; and it will be brought, but that is not good enough.”
Background
Just two days to the deadline for the submission of nomination forms on Friday, September 30, the EC came out remind presidential and parliamentary nominees they will not be eligible to contest the elections if they did not declare their assets with the Auditor General.
The EC in a statement said the “candidates are to take note of the requirement to declare their assets to the Auditor-General in order to meet the eligibility criteria.”
With a little over a day to the deadline, only the Flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has come out publicly to confirm the declaration of his assets to the Auditor General.
The NPP did not receive this warmly as it said the criteria was only binding persons already holding public office, and not those seeking to be office. It however said its candidate will readily declare his assets.
Source: Citifmonline
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WHEN DRY BONES ARE MENTIONED, THE AGED FROWN. BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE SKELETONS IN THEIR CUPBOARDS. THE ASSET DECLARATION FORM HAS ALWAYS BEEN ATTACHED TO THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION FORM BUT HAS BEEN OVER LOOKED BY AFARI DHAN. IF TODAY THE NEW COMMISSIONER HAS DECIDED TO ENFORCE IT, HOW DOES THAT DISENFRANCHISE SOMEONE? BESIDES, IF A CANDIDATE MANAGES TO OBTAIN A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE THEN THE MONEY IS REFUNDED. BUT LETS JUST SEE HOW THINGS UNFOLD IN THE COMING DAYS WITH REGARDS THE COURT SUIT.
is like the NDC discusses with the EC before they come out with their plans........ e.g filing fees now asset declaration.
For a seasoned lawyer like Bagbin to support the EC's illegality tells how politics in Ghana has been reduced to hypocrisy.
AS WE KEEP ON FIGHTING EACH OTHER THE WHITE BANKERS ARE BUSY WAGING WARRR AGAINST US THROUGH FORMAL EDUCATION AND THE DESTABILIZATION OF OUR ECONOMY. WE MUST ACT LIKE HUMAN BEINGS. WE MUST FIGHT BACK. DRIVE THEM AWAY AND LETS NEGOTIATE PROPERLY FOR OUR RESOURCES.
Paliament Methuselah. ahhhba you no go rest small. you keep long for paliament too much. see Jerry in mate ooh.uptill now the man dey paliament. Ghana mugabe