EC 'sankofa' logo will not 'cost any significant money'

The Electoral Commission (EC) has explained that returning to the use of its original logo, which bears the Coat of Arms and has a ballot box showing the hand casting it's vote will not "cost any significant amount of money."

"This is not supposed to cost any significant amount of money because the logo was already there, so in our parlance, we say sankofa."

"We just went back for it and we are using it. The letterheads that should have been done when new commissioners came into the scene, we've not even done them, and so we are yet to do them with this old logo which has now come back," one of the two deputy commissioners, Dr Bossman Asare explained in a radio interview with Accra based Joy FM Wednesday morning.

Read also: EC in 'sankofa' mode, dumps Charlotte Osei's controversial logo

The Electoral Commission on Tuesday December 4, 2018 dumped the controversial multi-coloured logo championed and introduced by its immediate past chairperson, Mrs Charlotte Osei in April 2016.

In a memo dated December 4, 2018 and signed by chairperson, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, the commission explained that with effect from "today... the original logo..which bears the Coat of Arms and has a ballot box showing the hand casting it's vote has been restored."

The memo, which had the subject, "Restoration of Original Logo of the Electoral Commission," a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online read: "The core values of the Electoral Commission, namely integrity, Fairness and Accountability have from today also been restored."

"All communications from the Electoral Commission must from today, be made on the letterhead bearing the original logo of the Commission as appears on the face of this letterhead. Reams of letterheads are to be picked up from the stores of the Commission," it said.

"Kindly ensure that the most recent logo is removed from the buildings and properties of the Commission. This will subsequently be replaced."

"Let the bells of Accountability, Fairness and Integrity ring throughout the Commision. May God bless us all. Thank you," the memo concluded.

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Explaining the rationale behind going for the old logo in the radio interview Wednesday morning, Dr Bossman Asare said the new one did not represent the work of the Electoral Commission.

“When we came to office on August 1 [2018], the four new commissioners that joined the three commissioners had meetings here and there and we came to a consensus that we should restore the old logo and so the chair had to write an internal memo to that effect,” he said.

Asked what was wrong with the one introduced by Charlotte Osei, Dr Asare said: "I think in the meetings of the commission it was decided that the one [original] we have introduced now is more representative of the work of Electoral Commission rather than the one which was introduced by Madam Charlotte Osei and her team,” he added.

On how much it will cost the commission by deciding to go for the old one, Dr Asare said: "This is not supposed to cost any significant amount of money because the logo was already there, so in our parlance, we say sankofa, we just went back for it and we are using it.”

“The letterheads that should have been done when new commissioners came into the scene we've not even done them and so we are yet to do them with this old logo which has now come back… I can't give a particular figure, I don't expect it to be any significant money,” Dr Asare said.

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

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