President has no plans of replacing EC Boss

Europa

August 1, 2017 10:16 AM

This comes on the back of claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the president is behind calls for the removal of the EC Chair, Charlotte Osei.

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Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo has no intentions of replacing the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Eugene Arhin, Communications Director at the Presidency has said.

According to the party, it will resist the “blackmail witch-hunting” of the head of the election management body, Charlotte Osei, who was appointed by the former president, John Mahama.

“Stay off intruding into the operations into the activities of the independent EC,” the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference organised by the NDC to assess the president’s first six months in office.

He said even though the NDC has been able to tolerate the manner in which the president has sacked almost all old heads in the civil service and replaced them with NPP members, it will not allow that same treatment to be given to the EC Chairperson.

However, speaking in an interview on Accra-based Okay FM, Eugene Arhin said the President does not intend to replace the EC boss.

"He has no plans of replacing Madam Charlotte Osei . . . he has only forwarded the petitions he received to the Chief Justice to see if a prima facie case can be established,” he explained.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last week referred the petition calling for the removal from office of the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mrs Charlotte Osei, to the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo.

The petition was referred to the Chief Justice in accordance with the provisions of Article 146(3) of the 1992 Constitution.

Article 146(3) of the 1992 Constitution states that “If the President receives a petition for the removal of Justice of a Superior Court other than the Chief Justice or for the removal of the Chairman of a Regional Tribunal, he shall refer the petition to the Chief Justice, who shall determine whether there is a prima facie case.”

Europa