The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has vehemently rejected the appointment of Madam Emelia Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission by President John Dramani Mahama, calling for its immediate withdrawal to preserve the integrity of the electoral body.
In a press statement signed by the National Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the opposition party described the appointment as unacceptable, highlighting Madam Agbenyo’s recent background as an active partisan operative for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to the party, Madam Agbenyo served as the NDC’s governance sector spokesperson during the drafting of its 2024 manifesto and actively campaigned for the party while wearing partisan paraphernalia. The NPP expressed deep concern that less than two years after actively seeking power for her party, she has now been placed among the top leadership of the institution tasked with conducting the upcoming 2028 general elections.
The NPP pointed out what it termed blatant hypocrisy on the part of the President, recalling his previous criticisms regarding appointments to the electoral body.
“In March 2023, he criticised the appointment of persons he described as party activists to the Commission, allegations he could not even provide any evidence for and called for Article 43(2) to be amended so that Parliament would approve such appointments. The President has now done exactly what he condemned,” the statement noted.
The opposition party warned that placing a known political activist in such a sensitive position threatens public trust in the country’s democratic processes and jeopardises national stability.
“The consequences are serious. Public confidence in the Commission is the foundation on which every election result rests. Once that confidence is lost, every registration exercise, every boundary decision and every declaration of results become open to suspicion. That is a danger to the peace and stability of our country, and it is avoidable,” the party stated.
The NPP urged the government to leverage the ongoing constitutional review process to reform the appointment mechanism for Electoral Commission members, in line with proposals previously advocated by the President himself.
Beyond demanding the withdrawal of the appointment, the party called on the Council of State to publicly clarify the nature of the advice it offered the President on the decision. Furthermore, the NPP raised strong objections to the acceptance speech delivered by Mr. Asamoah, describing his remarks as deeply troubling and aligned with a partisan agenda capable of undermining national peace.
The party pledged to deploy all lawful means to protect the integrity of Ghana’s electoral system, urging civil society organisations, religious bodies, the media, and the general public to join in demanding transparency and neutrality at the Electoral Commission.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
