A prominent on-air personality with Peace FM, Kwabena Marfo, has leveled accusations against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa.
Mr Marfo contends that Jean Mensa is operating within the EC in an autocratic manner, making decisions unilaterally without seeking advice or considering potential consequences.
He drew attention to Mensa’s previous role as the Executive Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), where she had critiqued certain decisions made by the EC chair at that time.
In a candid statement during an interactive session on Neat FM’s morning show on December 15, 2023, Marfo expressed his reservations regarding the proposed changes by the EC to eliminate the use of indelible ink during elections.
He argued passionately that indelible ink, a traditional feature of the electoral process, serves as a crucial safeguard against double voting.
According to Marfo, “The Electoral Commission, it seems like they don’t like peace, and when there is peace, they don’t want it. Jean Mensa was criticizing a lot of issues during her time at the IEA platform; she used to talk as an angel. But the same issues she used to criticize, she is now doing those 10 times as the EC chair, autocratic leadership.”
His concerns are primarily centered around the perception that the EC, under Mensa’s leadership, is making decisions without due consideration for potential conflicts or heeding the advice of others.
Mr Marfo strongly emphasized the importance of indelible ink, a long-established element of the electoral process, in preventing fraudulent activities such as double voting.
“Nobody advises her; she does as she pleases. If she is doing something that might cause chaos or conflict, she doesn’t care,” he asserted.
“It is better to use the ink, how much at all is the ink, she cannot give any guarantee to show that one cannot double vote. Her explanation doesn’t make sense, now if she wants to do things differently on her own, she will also see things differently,” he lamented.
The EC, in response to these concerns, has announced its intention to cease using indelible ink on voters’ fingers during elections.
The rationale provided by the EC is based on the efficiency of the biometric verification system in preventing instances of double voting.
Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, clarified that the biometric system, coupled with strict voter register controls, renders indelible ink unnecessary.
He explained that the biometric verification process ensures that each voter is verified only once, thereby eliminating any possibility of multiple voting.