This decision follows the Electoral Commission’s (EC) recent disqualification of Philip Appiah Kubi, the GFP’s replacement flagbearer, due to significant errors and irregularities on his nomination form.

Despite being given a 10-day window to correct these issues, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa confirmed that certain discrepancies remained unresolved, leading to Kubi’s disqualification from the presidential race.

After the EC’s announcement on Tuesday, GFP National Organiser Richard Botchway addressed the press in Accra, stating that the party’s national executives would soon convene to determine which candidate or party they would support in December.

“We’ll meet. I am going to consult with the national executive, and we will throw our support to one political party,” he said.

“All political parties are aware that GFP will not be represented in the upcoming election. We have resolved to establish a strong foundation and select a new flagbearer for the next election,” he added.

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According to party officials, the new candidate will be publicly introduced in the coming days, underscoring the GFP’s dedication to the election and its vision for Ghana despite the loss of its founding leader.

In a press conference held on Friday, November 1, in the Ashanti Region, GFP leaders addressed members and supporters, expressing unity and determination to carry forward Akua Donkor’s legacy.

Nsawam-Adoagyiri parliamentary candidate Patrick Tetteh confirmed that the party’s executive council has reached a consensus on both the presidential candidate and a running mate, chosen to uphold the GFP’s values and commitment to the Ghanaian people.

Mr. Tetteh emphasized the importance of this decision, noting that the new leadership reflects a shared commitment to honoring Akua Donkor’s contributions and continuing the party’s mission in her memory.

“The executives and leadership of the Ghana Freedom Party have agreed on the next presidential candidate and running mate, who will be presented to the Electoral Commission and the public within the Commission’s required timeframe, enabling the democratic process to proceed,” he stated.

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She said the only way people could enjoy peace was to make life comfortable for them.

Madam Donkor said she would make businesses in the country’s ports free from any charges, including education, from kindergarten to Senior High School, and provide healthcare facilities, water and electricity.

According to her, she intends to use revenue accrued from the country’s natural resources such as gas and oil, minerals, cocoa and timber to improve on the life of the people.

She further pledged to support journalists by providing each media house with a bus to enable them to go about their duties effectively.

The GFP presidential hopeful also promised to extend maternity leave from three months to a year for nursing mothers so they can have enough time to properly take care of themselves and their babies.

For orphans, the mentally impaired and physically challenged persons, Madam Donkor said she would provide shelter for them and also cater for their basic needs, adding that her government would also assist owners of orphanages to cater for the needs of the children.

Traders would also be provided with modern market facilities to facilitate their businesses.

Difference

The flag bearer said though she had not had any formal education, truth, transparency and love for humanity set her apart from the other presidential aspirants.

Madam Donkor also said her opponents had not demonstrated enough commitment to tackle corruption which she said was ruining the country.

According to her, the country will continue to be poorer if truth and transparency did not prevail, adding that when voted into power, she would rule the nation with integrity.

She described her chances of winning the elections as bright because she is a mother who understands the plight of the people.

Personal life

Madam Donkor is the only child of her parents. She was born on February 1952, and hails from Afigya Kwabre in the Ashanti Region.

She is a cocoa farmer and has had no formal education because of her love for farming from childhood.

Madam Donkor was elected Assembly Member for Hemang after a keenly contested election with six other opponents.

Her ambition to be President was evident in the 2012 polls where she applied to contest as an Independent candidate.

However, she was disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC), a decision she disagreed with, but has tagged herself ‘Her Excellency’ ever since.

In 2016, she was barred again by the EC because of the numerous errors on her nomination form.

In October this year, she successfully filed her documents to contest this year’s elections as the flag bearer of the GFP and she is number five on the ballot paper.

Her running mate is Ernest Frimpong-Manso Adakabre, a journalist and lawyer.

According to her, she owns the intellectual property of the policy thus knows how to make it sustainable.

The failed presidential candidate on Accra-based Neat FM claimed the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) stole her idea when she was prevented from contesting the elections by Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei.

“Nana Addo and his cohorts stole the free SHS policy from me in the 2016 elections and now he is implementing it. I can state authoritatively that this policy will not see the day of light. It will not work because it was stolen from me” she added.

Akua Donkor’s comment follows the launch of the much-anticipated education policy on the premises of the West Africa Senior Shool, Adentan, Accra.

Parents of over 400,000 students entering senior high school for the first time after qualifying from the junior high level, have been relieved of the burden of funding the education of their children at the senior high level as government rolls out the programme this academic year.

President Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians to embrace the policy and support it to succeed, maintaining that: “The policy is not about the NPP or the NDC; the beneficiaries will not only be NPP sympathisers; they will be Ghanaians”.

But Akua Donkor has joined skeptics who have bet their last dollar that the free SHS policy will collapse.

The reason, she noted is because government has not told Ghanaians how it intends to fund the policy.

The GFP leader noted that, her concern has had to do with what they call a shift from the campaign promise of providing free education to all SHS students to just first-year students.

The only way the policy will work, Akua Donkor noted is for government to include her int the implementation process.

The outspoken politician who is confident of winning the 2020 general elections said she will implement free education from kindergarten to SHS.

‘Nana Addo should make Kindergarten and primary free first and then focus on SHS because I will make sure I make education free for all pupils because I am sure of becoming President in 2020’ she noted.

Listen to Akua Donkor

The founder of the Ghana Freedom Party, raised her right hand during court proceedings to react to the amount the investigator, Detective Sergeant Jonas claimed was the total amount he retrieved from the accused in the course of his investigations.

The judge, Mr Aboagye Tandoh, told her politely to be patient and tolerant in court.

But Madam Akua Donkor disclosed to some police personnel after court proceedings that the investigator had allegedly hidden 17,000.00 dollars he had earlier retrieved from the accused which was separate from the 4,900.00 dollars he handed over to the court as exhibit.

She threatened to take legal action against the investigator should he fail to declare the total amount of dollars so far collected from the robbers.

At the time of filing this report the victim (Akua Donkor) was dashing to report the matter to the Accra Regional Police Commander for necessary action to be taken.

Four persons namely, Yakubu Yusif, Barnabas Kayase (Akua Donkor’s driver), Opoku Agyemang and Abdul Razak Shaibu, are being tried for robbing the victim on December 30, 2016, of 30,000.00 dollars when she was on her way to the Kotoka International Airport to take a flight to America.

Some of the exhibits the investigator handed over to the court included a locally manufactured pistol which was allegedly used in the robbery, a pair of camouflage shorts, a military cap, a lady’s bag containing DVLA documents, a passport-size photograph and Insurance certificate as well as the police medical form issued to the victim to seek medical attention after she had been attacked and brutally assaulted.

Detective Sergeant Jonas said that the third accused, Mr Opoku Agyemang, made a telephone call to the second accused, Barnabas Kayase at about 3:30am on the day of the incident when the other accused had laid ambush, waiting to attack the victim.

But Mr Vincent Aikins, one of the defence counsel told the judge that the witness was not truthful to the court.

The court, again remanded the four persons in police custody until May 31, 2017.

According to her, President Akufo-Addo’s government has neglected her and the All People’s Congress (APC) flagbearer, Hassan Ayariga.

“I wanted to find out if I was invited to the program. When I saw the invitation list, the president didn’t invite me and Hassan Ayariga,” she said.

Madam Akua Donkor was regular at all state functions during the erstwhile Mahama administration but since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over power after the December polls, the failed presidential hopeful has never made it to any state organised event.

The female politician in an interview on Adom FM blamed the Akufo-Addo government for her absence at state functions.

She stressed that despite the President adopting most of her policies, he still ‘hates’ her hence his failure to invite her to state functions.

Akua Donkor revealed that the independence parade is the third function she has been denied invitation and therefore promised to boycott all gatherings by the NPP government until she gets a formal invitation.

“At the 2017 budget reading, I was not permitted entry and this is not the first time these people are doing that to me after taking over power.

“I didn’t go because I wasn’t invited. I think he even wishes me dead. He adopted my policies that I intended to implement when I am given the chance to govern the country. Am I not part of the leaders in this country? …” she asked rhetorically.

Source: Ghana | Adom News | Shine Acquah