By Rebecca Ekpe
Nana Kwame Bediako, Leader of the New Force Movement has announced that he will run as an Independent Candidate in the December 7 General Election, backtracking on an earlier decision to run on the ticket of a Political Party, in what would be Ghana’s Eighth election in the third republic of the country’s democratic trajectory, and described by Election watchers to be one of the most keenly contested polls in the country’s history.
Speaking to Journalists in Accra, the New Force Leader, popularly known as Cheddar said he made the decision to go independent, following some challenges encountered in registering a political party.
He said, “running as an independent allows me to continue my mission of bringing economic freedom, equity, and empowerment to all Ghanaians, without being hindered by bureaucratic roadblocks”.
According to the New Force Leader, he submitted an application to the EC on 12th September, 2023 and got a call from the EC six months after(on May 30th 2024) that the Provisional Certificate was ready.
“We believe that if we have to wait three months, we are guaranteed to get this license. We wouldn’t have a two-month campaign or market spot. I want to assure you that I will keep on proceeding with this party after this election. At this very ………I believe that it is a great idea for us to go ahead with the Independent Candidacy”.
The new Six:
Nana Kwame Bediako announced that he will soon unveil a six-member team that will be responsible for prosecuting his agenda in the 2024 Elections, a group he has named, ”the new six”.
“A new generation of young and insightful leaders, with vast knowledge, about sectors of the economy, in due time, their masks will come off and be unveiled”, he stated.
Continuous Registration:
The new Force Leader is pushing for more young people to be part of the democratic process in an advocacy for continuous registration to enable those who turn 18 this year, as many of them can cast their vote on December 7, 2024.
Nana Kwame Bediako acknowledged the Electoral Commission(EC), for heeding to previous calls to enable more young people to be captured unto the Electoral Register.
“I acknowledge the fact that the EC will be doing a mop up exercise from August 1st – 3rd and will register people who weren’t able to register during the limited voters registration. – We need a system that allows citizens to register to vote at any time, ensuring that no one is disenfranchised due to arbitrary deadlines.
Continuous voter registration will empower more Ghanaians to participate in the electoral process, especially the youth and those in remote areas. By making voter registration an ongoing process, we can strengthen our democracy and ensure that our elections truly reflect the will of the people”, the New Force Leader stated.
