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The Office of the President has received a petition to remove Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).
By pointing to examples of ineptitude, bias, and acts or inactions that have damaged public trust in the Electoral Commission, petitioner Ofosu-Appiah Daniel claims constitutional breaches.
Along with Jean Mensa, the petitioner also requests Dr. Peter Appiahene, a member of the commission’s board, Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) in charge of Corporate Affairs, and Samuel Tettey, the Deputy EC Chairperson in charge of Operations.
On Monday, January 27, 2025, the petition was filed, citing Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana as the legal foundation.
The EC Chair and her deputies are accused in the petition of egregious misbehavior, human rights violations, and incompetence in their official capacities.
He is thus pleading with the Office of the President to take action.
“By these actions and inactions, the Chairperson and her deputies have undermined the integrity of the Electoral Commission and breached their constitutional duties under Articles 42, 46, 23 and 296. Their continued stay in office poses a threat to the Ghanaian people in the electoral process,” part of the petition read.
“For over four years, the people of SALL were deprived of their constitutional right to parliamentary representation, leaving them without a voice in the legislative process. Also, at the time of this deliberate exclusion, the parliamentary composition was a hung parliament. The SALL area’s parliamentary vote was pivotal and could have potentially given the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) a majority.
By disenfranchising these voters, the EC acted in a manner that suggests partisan bias and an attempt to influence the balance of power in Parliament.”
The petitioner further alleged that certain commissioners engaged in overt partisanship and that the 2020 presidential election was poorly managed, including inaccuracies in the outcomes.
“The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, in concert with her deputies, has demonstrated gross incompetence in the performance of her duties. Announcing such a critical decision (Exhibit A) on the eve of an election suggests poor management and a failure to anticipate the impact of the Guan District’s creation on electoral arrangements.”
The petitioner further accused Dr. Peter Appiahene and Dr. Bossman Asare of undermining the EC’s neutrality by citing their prior remarks and deeds.
“Dr. Bossman Asare, made numerous social media comments on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter before his appointment, displaying overt bias against the opposition party. These statements have raised questions about his impartiality and suitability for the role.”
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
