A Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asa Asante is disgruntled over the appointment of a member of the New Patriotic Party as a member of the Electoral Commission (EC).
He has therefore urged President Akufo-Addo to withdraw the appointment of the known member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a Commissioner of the Electoral Commission.
On Monday, President Akufo-Addo swore in Dr. Peter Appiahene, Salima Ahmed Tijani, and Rev Akua Ofori Boateng as new members of the commission.
But pictures have since gone viral alleging in particular Dr. Peter Appiahene as a patron of the NPP’s tertiary institutions wing, TESCON, specifically at the University of Energy and Natural Resources.
Many including the Centre for Democratic Development(CDD) Ghana, have expressed misgivings over the appointment of Dr. Appiahene who was at one time tipped to be a Regional Minister.
Speaking on the Morning Starr on Starr FM Wednesday, Dr. Asa Asante argued that the development does not auger well for confidence in the EC to be a fair arbiter.
“The Electoral Commission is a body which by law and by practice must be a neutral arbiter of electoral issues. So for that reason, if somebody is politically exposed, he should not be there. Even if he or she is appointed, the appointing authority can take a second look and withdraw that person because for elections to be free and fair, the electoral body must be neutral at all times and create a neutral enabling environment for all parties and political actors to act on that political sphere.
On that basis, any action taken by an appointing authority that has something to undermine the credibility of the EC obviously flies in the face of the work of the EC.”
He added: “So, I believe that this particular appointment given the evidence that is coming out now, it is important that Mr. President will take a second look at this appointment and withdraw the person. Because from the word go, it will create a whole lot of problems for the EC. The commission itself has over the years been suffering from a lot of concerns from political parties, particularly the NDC.”