25.2 C
Accra
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
HeadlineI'll not appoint NPP 'hatchet person' as EC chair Akufo-Addo

Date:

I’ll not appoint NPP ‘hatchet person’ as EC chair Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will appoint an apolitical person as replacement for dismissed-Chair of the Electoral Commission Mrs Charlotte Osei, as well as her two other deputies: Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah…

President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will appoint an apolitical person as replacement for dismissed-Chair of the Electoral Commission Mrs Charlotte Osei, as well as her two other deputies: Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah.

Speaking publicly on the dismissal of the three commissioners of the election management body, for the first time on Saturday, 30 June 2018, at a town hall meeting with Ghanaians in Nouakchott, Mauritania, ahead of the conduct of the 31st AU Summit, the president said, as far as the replacement of the three is concerned, “We are not looking for persons who are coming to do a job for the NDC or for the NPP. We are looking for persons who are coming to do a job for Ghana. That is what we are looking for, for the Electoral Commission”.

The president stated that he had no choice but to act on the recommendations of the committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate complaints against Mrs Osei and her two deputies, adding that he is duty-bound to uphold the teachings of the 1992 Constitution.

According to the president, whenever a petition for the removal of a high-ranking public official, like the Chairperson of the EC is forwarded to the president, all the president has to do, as is stipulated in the Constitution, is to refer the petition to the Chief Justice, for the determination of a prima facie case or otherwise.

Once a prima facie case is established, the Chief Justice, in accordance with Article 146(4) of the Constitution, must establish a Committee to investigate the complaints. The Committee, in turn will make its recommendations to the Chief Justice, who shall, then, forward it to the President.

The Committee, the President noted, was composed of a Supreme Court Judge, two High Court judges, and two persons, who are neither lawyers nor Members of Parliament, and who were appointed by the Chief Justice on the advice of the Council of State.

“They [Committee] have been working over the last 6 months, and recommended that the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah, be removed from office on the grounds of stated misbehaviour and incompetence,” the President said.

He continued, “Article 146(9) of the Constitution demands that I act on the recommendations of the committee. I have no power to disagree with the recommendations of the Committee, the Constitution does not give me that power. That is why I have removed the Chairperson of the EC and the two deputies.”

Reiterating his commitment to building a country governed by the rule of law, the President indicated that the laws governing

“I, as President, am bound to respect the laws of our land. If I go against the laws of the country, I will be dealt with. Likewise, if you also go against the laws of the country, you must be dealt with. It is sad [the removal of the three EC Chair and deputies], but this is how it must be,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo stressed that the process that led to the removal of Mrs Osei and her two deputies “was not borne out of hatred, or a deliberate orchestration to remove some persons from their jobs.”

The petitioners, he added, are workers of the Electoral Commission and not faceless persons, as some would want Ghanaians to believe. The President also recounted the publicly documented spat between the three former EC commissioners.

Source: classfmonline.com

[forminator_poll id="710479"]
[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

Vote out NPP to show that you cannot be taken for granted – Mankessim constituents told

Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has...

Don’t vote ‘skirt and blouse’ – Ato Forson tells NDC Gomoa Central supporters

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson...

Don’t vote for non-performing Ophelia Hayford – Sammy Gyamfi to Mfantseman constituents

National Communication Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress...

Investor confidence to soar as Moody’s positive outlook for Ghana upgrades – Financial Analyst

Financial analyst Patrick Abankwa Baah has suggested that Ghana’s...

SMEs contributes 70% to the country’s GDP – Dr Amin Adam

Finance Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has indicated that...

Moody’s upgrade demonstrated the NPP’s capability to restore the economy – Ahiagbah

Communications Director for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard...

Related stories

“Just watch, nothing will happen to them” – Mahama on NPP-NDC Mamobi clash

Former President and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress...

13 including a child dead in ghastly accident on Kumasi-Obuasi Highway

A tragic accident occurred at dawn today, Monday, October...

Ballot statistics for 2024 election released

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has released the...

9 injured in intense clash between NPP, NDC supporters at Mamobi

Mamobi, a suburb of Accra, was thrown into chaos...

Parliament failed Ghana by passing L.I. that allowed mining in forest reserves – NPP MP

Asante-Akim North Member of Parliament, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has admitted...

2 die in ghastly car crash at East Legon

Two young women lost their lives in a devastating...