Power To Appoint EC Chair Must Be Taken From President – Prof. Agyemang Duah

A renowned governance expert, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has proposed that the power to appoint the Chair of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) should be transferred from the president to an independent body. He believes this change would foster greater confidence in the country’s electoral process and safeguard the integrity of the commission.

Prof. Agyeman-Duah shared his concerns during an appearance on TV3’s “The Big Issue” on Monday, September 9, where he also commented on the controversial removal of the former EC Chair, Charlotte Osei. According to him, the circumstances surrounding her dismissal were peculiar and problematic, particularly the fact that a single petition led to the initiation of her removal process.

“The manner in which Charlotte Osei was removed from office was quite strange,” Prof. Agyeman-Duah remarked. “One individual submitted a petition, which was then acted upon by the president, who referred it to the Chief Justice. This raises concerns as it creates a precedent where any petition, no matter how isolated, could lead to similar actions.”

He emphasized that a more robust process is needed for handling petitions related to the removal of EC officials to prevent potential abuse of the system. He argued that an independent appointment process for the EC Chair, one that does not involve the executive arm of government, would strengthen public trust in the electoral system.

Currently, Ghana’s Constitution grants the president the authority to appoint the EC Chair, but Prof. Agyeman-Duah highlighted that in many other countries, this role is filled independently of the executive. He believes Ghana could benefit from adopting a similar approach.

Charlotte Osei, along with her deputies Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwa, was removed from office on June 28, 2018, by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Their dismissal followed recommendations from a committee established by the Chief Justice to investigate allegations of misconduct and incompetence lodged against them by some EC staff members in July 2017.

The decision sparked controversy, with some Ghanaians, particularly members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing the government of using the petition as a pretext to remove Mrs. Osei, who was appointed by former President John Mahama. Critics pointed to previous comments by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) before they assumed power, in which they hinted at plans to remove the EC Chair.

However, President Akufo-Addo defended the decision, explaining that he was bound by law to act upon the recommendations of the Chief Justice’s committee. Speaking to the Ghanaian community in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on July 1, 2018, the president clarified that he had no discretion in the matter.

“The law does not give me the power to overrule the committee’s recommendation,” Akufo-Addo said. “As president, I am required to implement the committee’s findings. That is why, despite the difficulty of the decision, I had no choice but to remove Madam Charlotte Osei and her deputies.”

The debate over the appointment and dismissal of the EC Chair continues to be a point of contention in Ghana’s political discourse, with many calling for reforms to ensure the independence and integrity of the electoral body.

Source: GhanaFeed.Com