Position of EC can be rotational - Former Deputy Minister

A former Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the Mahama regime, Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei, has described the appointment of Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) , as politically motivated and likely to induce successive governments to make the EC position rotational.

“The appointment of Mrs. Mensa could be a recipe for successive governments to cause the EC ‘s position to be rotational, thus causing this prestigious institution to lose its independence, credibility and confidence it had enjoyed over the years,” Mr Adusei explained during an exclusive interview with Daily Graphic in Accra.

Political colours
Commenting on the appointment of Mrs Mensa, Mr Adusei noted, “what the government had done indicates that the EC chairmanship will be rotational where successive governments can remove the chairman on any flimsy excuse and impose their own. When it happens this way, it is likely to erode all the gains we have made in our democratic dispensations over the years.That explains why I am appealing to our MPs to reject her nomination in the interest of the nation,” he explained.

Mr Adusei, who was also a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, said due to the political colours Mrs Mensa had been wearing over the years, “a larger section of the public and some political parties who are major stakeholders in our electoral process had already lost trust in her even before she appeared before the Vetting Committee of Parliament.”
Adding,he noted “If care is not taken and she is endorsed, the gains we have chalked over the years in our democratic dispensation will be jeopardised.”

Independence and credibility of EC
He was also of the view that the independence of the EC would not only be compromised if her nomination was endorsed, but its legitimacy as a credible institution that runs elections to deepen our democratic dispensation would be thrown overboard.

“ If she is endorsed, the electorate are likely to lose confidence in the electoral process and question the credibility of the EC. This will also not go well with our democracy” he npted
Recalling the dismissal of the former boss of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Mr Adusei said it was shrouded in controversy .

He said the expectation was that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would have made broader consultations to ensure that the next EC boss would be widely accepted by the public “ but that was not what happened”.

Broader consultation
“ There should have been a broader consultation with all political parties by the President before making such an appointment, but he ignored such stakeholders and went ahead to appoint somebody known to have been projecting the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a positive way over the years,” he said .

“ My fear is that successive governments would do the same to discredit the institution that was created to deepen our young democracy”
It is our duty to consolidate the democratic dispensations bequeathed to us by our forefathers. They sacrificed much to build what we are enjoying now so we cannot put the future of our children into such a mess by destroying the institution that oils our democracy,” he bemoaned

Pull quote : My fear is that successive governments will change the chairman of the EC to discredit the institution that was created to deepen our young democracy.