Governance Expert, Dr Richard Fiadomor, has called for an immediate end to what he terms the hypocrisy of individuals and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) demanding the resignation of the newly appointed Electoral Commission (EC) Deputy Chairperson, Emelia Afi Agbenyo.
His comments follow demands by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) for Madam Agbenyo to step down over her alleged political affiliation with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC). CDD-Ghana has also urged President John Dramani Mahama to advise her to vacate the position.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Dr Fiadomor stated that Ghana has historically recorded instances where individuals appointed to the EC by ruling governments were perceived to have partisan affiliations.
He cited the appointments of former EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei and current EC Chairperson Jean Mensa to illustrate his point.
“The EC is a constitutional body and has its duties spelled out in the Constitution. However, when it comes to persons appointed to the EC, a certain level of discretion should be exercised by the appointing authority. In recent times, you will agree that those appointed as Commissioners, the sitting government considers them their members. But over the period, they have come to see that those they appoint are the ones who have seen them through to opposition. Charlotte Osei was the one who saw John Mahama back to opposition. Jean Mensa was appointed by Akufo-Addo, and yet she was the one who saw him go to opposition,” he noted.
He further referenced subsequent appointments, arguing that partisan allegations against EC officials are not new.
“Later, Dr Appiahene and other people came. There was a lot of noise about it. Today, these individuals are still working at the EC. The NPP went back to opposition while the people they appointed were still at post. So, I think the hypocrisy on the part of some of these Civil Society Organisations is becoming so loud, and they should stop it,” he added.
Dr Fiadomor questioned the criteria used by CSOs to conclude the partisan affiliations of EC appointees.
He emphasized that even if persons with political ties are appointed to the Commission, they are bound by a constitutional mandate and cannot act contrary to established legal provisions.
“How do you say the person is NDC or NPP? When they get there, the Constitution has outlined the duties of the Commissioners. Is the President not an NDC member? Are the appointees of the government NDC or NPP? So, are we saying that the appointment of one singular person, because the individual is a known NDC or known NPP, automatically means the EC cannot perform its constitutional duty? So for me, it is purely hypocrisy, nothing less, nothing more,” he stated.
Dr Fiadomor argued that no government would appoint an opposition member to serve at the Electoral Commission, reiterating the need for civil society leaders to cease their criticism.
He stressed that elections are conducted and decided at the polling stations, with the EC merely acting as administrators who cannot manipulate results in favour of any political party.
He maintained that every Commissioner appointed comes with political considerations, making the demands for resignation unjustified.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
