NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia has rejected criticisms that the Electoral Commission is not credible, pointing out that the Commission has unquestionable institutional memory and experience.
“Electoral Commission is already credible and it has institutional memory. What has happened with the appointment of the Chairperson is just the changing of one person of the Electoral Commission”, he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Friday.
He is at a loss at to why the opposition should raise questions about the EC’s credibility although its seven-member board has been the same since 2004 with the exception of two new appointments.
President John Mahama appointed Charlotte Osei as the chairperson in June 2015, a historic first for a female chairperson.
The first female Deputy Chairman of the Commission Georgina Opoku Amankwa was also appointed by President John Mahama in July 2013 to replace Sarfo-Kantanka who had served for about 20 years.
The opposition has been persistent in criticising the Charlotte Osei-led Electoral Commission. They say she favours the governing NDC.
But finding this claim bemusing, Asiedu Nketia said under president John Agyekum Kufuor, four commissioners were appointed in 2004.
They are Mrs. Paulina Adobea Dadzawa, an administrator, Nana Amba Eyiiba I, Efutuhemaa and Krontihemaa of the Oguaa Traditional Area and Eunice Akweley Roberts, an Educationist and Human Resource Practitioner. They were all women.
Ebenezer Aggrey Fynn, a Management Consultant was also appointed to the Commission by President Kufuor to bring it to its full complement of seven members.
“Heaven did not break loose” Johnson Asiedu Nketia also known as ‘General Mosquito’ said. He explained that despite the four appointments made by Kufuor, it did not stop the EC from discharging their duties professionally.
He said the Commission dominated by Kufuor’s appointees still declared the NDC candidate John Evans Atta Mills as winner of the December 2008 general elections.
Going further into history, Asiedu Nketia said all seven members of the board were appointed by President Jerry John Rawlings when it was first constituted in 1992.
“And yet he [Rawlings] was president when that seven-member committee decided the results of the elections against President Rawlings party [in 2000] and nothing happened. There was a transition” he said.
Fastforwarding to 2016, Asiedu Nketia expressed surprise at the attitude of the opposition towards the EC.
“President Mahama has appointed only two commissioners and you think that because of two out of seven commissioners suddenly the commission has lost its credibility then you have a problem”.
The facts however show, the NDC has made three appointments to the Electoral Commission since it was elected in 2009.
Deputy Chairman Sulley Amadu was appointed by John Evans Atta Mills following the retirement of David Kangah who had served in that capacity for 19 years.
President Mahama followed up with two other appointments, Georgina Opoku Amankwa and the current chairperson, Charlotte Osei.
By: Dan Kwasi Prince// www.dailyviewgh.com /Ghana
Writer’s email dailyviewgh@gmail.com
