Ghana's president names new election chief, opposition shocked

desmond frimpong

July 24, 2018 7:20 PM

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed its dissatisfaction with the nomination of IEA Executive Director, Jean Adukwei Mensa as the new Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).

Head of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Jean Mensa has been nominated Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.

It follows the removal of Mrs Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Mrs Georgina Opoku Amankwaa, for stated misbehavior.

A statement signed by the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei Opare named Mr Samuel Tettey and Dr Eric Asare Bossman as Deputy Chairpersons. Ms Adwoa Asuama has also been named as a member of the Commission. She replaces Mrs Pauline Dadzawa who has proceeded on retirement.

The party in a statement said it is shocked by the nomination, given that President Nana Akufo-Addo until his nomination, had assured that persons to be nominated as EC officials would be persons “whose integrity and political neutrality would be above board.”

“For President Akufo –Addo to proceed contrary to his earlier assurance to appoint a known pro-NPP and on-avowed anti NDC person like Mrs. Jean Mensa to chair a commission which would organize elections invoking the NPP and NDC as the main contenders defies all series of decency, fairness and justice, and amounts to a gross abuse of the discretionary powers of appointment vested in him by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana,” the statement signed by the General Secretary of the NDC added.

The party said it will in due course provide details of what it calls “open and covert activities of Jean Mensa which makes her unfit to occupy the high position of Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of the Republic of Ghana.”

desmond frimpong