Akufo-Addo can appoint his son as EC chair, NDC will win election 2020

Former Central Region Minister under the President Mahama administration has laughed at the removal the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku-Amankwah from office, saying, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will win the 2020 elections “even if President Akufo-Addo appoints his son as the EC chair”.

Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah said elections are won at the polling stations and not at the EC office so whoever the President will appoint as the EC will not affect the NDC’s chances of winning the 2020 elections.

President Akufo-Addo on Thursday June 28, 2018, announced the removal of the chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku-Amankwah from office.

This was after a committee set up by Chief Justice, Sophia A.B Akuffo, to investigate allegations of misconduct and incompetence found them guilty.

The committee also investigated allegations of abuse of office and conflict of interest by the trio who had been involved in heated and spirited media warfare, accusing each other of wrongdoing.

Their investigations follows a petition filed by three citizens for their removal from office.

A statement issued and signed by Information Minister, Dr. Mustapha Abdul Hamid on Thursday evening said, “the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has, on Thursday, 28th June, 2018, removed from office the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Mr. Amadu Sulley and Mrs. Georgina Opoku-Amankwah, with immediate effect”.

This was after the committee set up by the Chief Justice, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three persons by Ghanaian citizens, recommended their removal from office.

The statement said “the committee recommended their removal on the basis of stated misbehaviour and incompetence, pursuant to Article 146(1) of the Constitution”.

The provisions of Article 146(9) of the Constitution require the President of the Republic to act in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee.

This did not gone down well with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) whose government appointed the ousted EC boss and so threatened to stage a massive demonstration in protest against the dismissal.

However, the party was compelled to call off the demonstration following the sudden demise of former Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, who passed away last Friday at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

At a hurriedly-arranged press conference at the party's headquarters on Thursday night, NDC National Organizer, Kofi Adams, said the dismissal of the EC boss is part of the NPP’s grand scheme to rig the 2020 elections.

The NDC also threatened to make the country ungovernable following the dismissal of Charlotte Osei as the EC boss, but a cross-section of Ghanaians criticized the minority NDC for threatening to make the country ungovernable following the dismissal.

Commenting on the development in an interview with Prime News Ghana on Tuesday July 3, 2018, Mr. Tawiah Quansah said “NPP can even appoint Akufo-Addo’s son as EC boss, we are going to win the 2020 election”.

“We are coming in [elections] with our referee. We are coming with full vim to annex the seat come 2020 so whoever will be chosen is not our problem...our problem how to marshal all the forces to win the elections”, he added.

The aspiring Central Regional Chairman of the NDC said “elections are won at the polling stations and not at the EC office” so the NDC will win whoever is appointed the EC boss in 2020.

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