The founder and leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), Dr. Hassan Ayariga, has decided on a former presidential candidate as his running mate for the 2020 polls.

He disclosed this to journalists moments after he had registered for the new voters ID at a registration centre yards away from his Bawku residence on Saturday.

“We should be having our national delegates’ congress on the 17th of this month. But, as you are aware, we wrote to the Electoral Commission, giving them dates to our national delegates’ congress where we possibly would announce the running mate. And they are telling us, because of the new voters registration exercise they are conducting, they won’t have much time."

“They said we should give them time so that, after the exercise, they can have enough attention and enough men to [provide] for the APC’s regional and national delegates’ congress. After we select the flagbearer, surprises will follow. I believe it will be a former presidential candidate. It’s a big story. I believe a former presidential candidate will be my running mate,” Dr. Ayariga stated.

When the press pressed him further to mention the former presidential candidate being referred to, he answered with a firm smile: “Oh, when I say it will be a former presidential candidate, I have made it out to you. You have to now comb and look for who is that former presidential candidate who is now going to partner Hassan Ayariga for 2020. That means I leave it with you.”

The London-trained accountant and his wife, Anita Ayariga, obtained their voter identity cards together at the same registration centre—the Tinsungo Polling Station B— accompanied by the APC’s Upper East Regional Chairman, Alhaji Awudu Sirnusi, and other party executives from the regional and the constituency levels.

Hassan Ayariga’s performance record as presidential candidate

Dr. Ayariga became the presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention (PNC) for the 2012 general elections after securing 483 votes to beat Dr Edward Mahama, who polled 426 votes, at the party’s presidential primary held at Sunyani in February 2012.

He would leave the PNC four years later to form the APC after losing to Dr Mahama at a primary he said was flawed with cheating and irregularities. Whilst he stood on the PNC presidential ticket in 2012, he managed to poll 24,617 votes, representing 0.22% of the 10,995,262 total valid votes cast nationwide.

He decided again to run for president in 2016, this time on the APC ticket, but the EC disqualified 13 presidential candidates, including Dr. Ayariga, owing to some issues with the nomination papers they submitted to the commission. He fought back without success, saying his nomination documents were faultless, as the commission sustained the disqualification into the polls.
The founder and leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), Dr. Hassan Ayariga, has decided on a former presidential candidate as his running mate for the 2020 polls.

He disclosed this to journalists moments after he had registered for the new voters ID at a registration centre yards away from his Bawku residence on Saturday.

“We should be having our national delegates’ congress on the 17th of this month. But, as you are aware, we wrote to the Electoral Commission, giving them dates to our national delegates’ congress where we possibly would announce the running mate. And they are telling us, because of the new voters registration exercise they are conducting, they won’t have much time."

“They said we should give them time so that, after the exercise, they can have enough attention and enough men to [provide] for the APC’s regional and national delegates’ congress. After we select the flagbearer, surprises will follow. I believe it will be a former presidential candidate. It’s a big story. I believe a former presidential candidate will be my running mate,” Dr. Ayariga stated.

When the press pressed him further to mention the former presidential candidate being referred to, he answered with a firm smile: “Oh, when I say it will be a former presidential candidate, I have made it out to you. You have to now comb and look for who is that former presidential candidate who is now going to partner Hassan Ayariga for 2020. That means I leave it with you.”

The London-trained accountant and his wife, Anita Ayariga, obtained their voter identity cards together at the same registration centre—the Tinsungo Polling Station B— accompanied by the APC’s Upper East Regional Chairman, Alhaji Awudu Sirnusi, and other party executives from the regional and the constituency levels.

Hassan Ayariga’s performance record as presidential candidate

Dr. Ayariga became the presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention (PNC) for the 2012 general elections after securing 483 votes to beat Dr Edward Mahama, who polled 426 votes, at the party’s presidential primary held at Sunyani in February 2012.

He would leave the PNC four years later to form the APC after losing to Dr Mahama at a primary he said was flawed with cheating and irregularities. Whilst he stood on the PNC presidential ticket in 2012, he managed to poll 24,617 votes, representing 0.22% of the 10,995,262 total valid votes cast nationwide.

He decided again to run for president in 2016, this time on the APC ticket, but the EC disqualified 13 presidential candidates, including Dr. Ayariga, owing to some issues with the nomination papers they submitted to the commission. He fought back without success, saying his nomination documents were faultless, as the commission sustained the disqualification into the polls.
“Anybody can vouch for a minor and you cannot challenge because they would tell you that he has no birth cert. Even though it’s new, compiling a new voters register does not mean it’s going to be [more] credible than the one we have. I think it has lost its credibility with using the vouching. Many minors have registered. Many foreigners have registered,” remarked the APC leader.

Speaking further, he commented: “So, what is the essence of the exercise when it has lost the same credibility Ghanaians are looking for and for the reason the EC is conducting a new voter registration? What is the essence? For me, this is an exercise for fun, an exercise of ignorance, an exercise of failure, an exercise that will not actually help the purpose. For me, I’m only following the due process to become a voter. But within me, in my heart, this (exercise) is not credible. If I had the power, I would have asked for a biometric identification. That is what I would have asked for as a President.”
Daily Mail