David Ankomah, the disqualified parliamentary hopeful for the Action People’s Party (APP) in the upcoming Akwatia by-election, has rejected claims that he failed to meet his tax obligations, branding the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision as unfair and unjustified.
Ankomah’s response comes in the wake of a lawsuit he has filed at the Accra High Court, seeking to halt the by-election scheduled for September 2, 2025. Speaking in an exclusive interview on Citi FM/Channel One TV’s Akwatia Watch on Tuesday, August 26, Ankomah maintained that he has always fulfilled his tax responsibilities and submitted the necessary documentation to the EC during his registration process.
“We have completed balloting, and the EC has agreed that I am a candidate. I followed all the due process and qualified. After printing the ballot papers, EC reached out to me to present my tax clearance certificate. Meanwhile, while I was registering to contest the elections, I made it known to the commission that I pay direct tax. Taxes are deducted even before I receive my monthly earnings. The EC accepted my documents. Then I had not gone for my Tax Clearance Certificate from GRA, but I presented my payslip to the commission as proof that I pay tax,” he explained.
Ankomah argued that the EC’s reversal of his candidacy after the ballot process was arbitrary and unfair. He insists his payslip served as adequate evidence of tax compliance at the time of registration.
The Akwatia by-election was necessitated by the recent passing of Member of Parliament Ernest Kumi. Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) have ramped up their campaigns—NPP aiming to maintain its hold on the constituency, while the NDC seeks to swing it in its favour.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
