General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Aseidu Nketia has warned the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) that any attempt to remove the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) Mrs. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei and her two deputies will undermine Ghana’s democratic credentials.
He said if NPP succeeds in removing Charlotte Osei from office, it will be a precedent that allows every political party who comes to power to appoint its own Electoral Commissioner, which is a threat to Ghana’s democracy and a way to strengthen Ghana’s democracy is to protect the electoral commission from political interference.
Aseidu Nketia, who has described the impeachment of the EC Boss as a sheer ‘hatred’ and disgrace to democracy, in an interview said the NPP has created impression that Mrs. Charlotte is their enemy, starting from the first day of her appointment and are using any available opportunity to removal her.
“what I can see from this matter is that it is big temptation and challenge to NPP if they don’t know am telling them because those who wrote the constitution and very country who believes in democracy know that one factor to strengthen democracy is to protect the electoral commission from political interference, again every democracy principle is that the constitution will protect the court from political interference as well as any other independent democratic institution” he said.
Chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei, and two of her deputies, Georgina Opoku-Amankwah, who is in charge of Corporate Services, and Amadu Sulley, in charge of Operations, on Monday December 11, 2017 appeared before the five-member committee chaired by a Supreme Court Judge for questioning relating to separate petitions filed against them demanding for her impeachment in relation to alleged corruption and mismanagement.
The appearance of the trio before the committee follows the completion of preliminary investigations into their alleged conduct of abuse of power and corruption.
The two deputies are to also answer for their alleged roles in the disappearance of some GHS480,000 from the EC’s Endowment Fund, among other allegations.
Mrs. Osei, who was present at the hearing with her lawyer, explained that she has not been officially served with the petition and has therefore written to the presidency to furnish her with a copy of the petition.
“If nothing had not happened before, why is the NPP is using the allegations against the EC Chairperson for her removal? NPP has created impression in the country that Mrs. Charlotte Osei is their greatest enemy because we all saw and heard what they did when she was appointed as the EC chairperson, if you like conduct an investigation in Ghana and everybody will tell you that Charlotte Osei is NPP enemy,” he said.
“So if they don’t take care they will leave a legacy that permits every political party that comes to power appoint its own EC boss and so doing we are tarnishing the good image on our electoral body has reached international recognition and respect,” he warned.
