By: Emmanuel Amoah
The two key candidates in this year’s presidential election, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Dramani Mahama, filed their nominations today, signaling the start of their official campaigns.
In accordance with Regulations 6, 7, and 8 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (C.I. 127), both candidates will be required to pay a nomination fee of GH¢100,000. Their submission of forms marks the beginning of the five-day window for candidates to officially enter the race, setting the stage for a highly anticipated electoral contest between the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Dr. Bawumia, and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by Mr. Mahama, as the nation prepares to go to the polls on December 7.
NPP General Secretary, Justice Kodua Frimpong, announced via Facebook that the Vice President, accompanied by his running mate Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, will be presenting his nomination forms today. Alongside them will be other key party figures including National Chairman Stephen Ayensu, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and Campaign Chairman Dan Botwe.
Mr. Frimpong also noted that after submitting his nomination, Dr. Bawumia will address party supporters and the public at the NPP’s national headquarters at 9:00 a.m.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mahama expressed the significance of this step for the NDC in a social media post, stating that today’s event is a crucial milestone in the party’s efforts to restore progress in the country. He highlighted the submission of forms by National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah as a key moment in their campaign to bring change in the upcoming election.
“We are united with Ghanaians in resetting the economy and building the future we all desire,” Mahama wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.
An earlier statement released by the Electoral Commission in August explained that each presidential candidate is required to designate a running mate in accordance with the 1992 Constitution.
In addition to Dr. Bawumia and Mr. Mahama, 37 other individuals have picked up nomination forms to contest the presidency. This group includes candidates from 10 political parties and 27 independent candidates. Among the political parties represented are the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), All People’s Congress (APC), People’s National Convention (PNC), Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Ghana Union Movement (GUM), National Democratic Party (NDP), Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), and Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG).
Notable independent candidates include Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, Nana Kwame Bediako, Twum-Barim-Adu, Jacob Osei Yeboah, Samuel Apea-Danquah, Kofi Koranteng, Richard Sumah, Dr. Agnes Ayisha, Dr. Nii Amu Darko, Desmond Abrefa, Wilberforce Andrews, Nana Stephens, Rev. Samuel Worlanyo, and T.K. Amenya, among others.
