President of policy think tank IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe has stated that Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Charlotte Osei had no one to blame but herself for the public criticism she has been receiving lately because her behaviour is like someone who wants to compete in the elections herself.
Speaking on Citi FM's Big Issue on Saturday, Mr Cudjoe said "it appears Charlotte Osei wants to be on the ballot".
Ghana is expected to go to polls on December 7, to elect a president and 275 members of parliament but The EC is currently locked in legal battles at the Supreme Court and about three different High Courts over the disqualification of some presidential aspirants submitting nominations with anomalies which they said breached the electoral laws.
While the head of the electoral management body has assured that the elections would come off as scheduled, many including private legal practitioner, Akoto Ampaw remain sceptical fearing that the plethora of legal suits the Commission is facing would jeopardise the electoral calendar.
The possible jeopardy to the election timetable has largely been placed on the doorsteps of Madam Osei with former Attorney-General, Martin Amidu, in one of his now synonymous letters to the media on Monday, criticising the Commission's decision to challenge a high court ruling that determined it had wrongly disqualified Papa Kwesi Nduom, the flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) from contesting the December elections.
According to Mr Amidu, “…since the commissioner has knowingly chosen the path of adversarial confrontation instead of pragmatic alternative dispute resolution in view of the limited period to the election date of 7th December 2016, I hope she will, within the letter and in the spirit of the Constitution, take full responsibility for the natural and probable consequences of her actions as chairperson of the Commission".
Though some have defended the EC's stance and condemned attacks on MadamOsei, Mr Cudjoe seemed to agree with the critics saying, Â the EC chairperson had herself to blame because "you can't prosecute a tense election like this by courting and initiating legal suits".
"Even though there are other commissioners, Charlotte Osei is taking the flak because of her posture. The EC Boss is too quick to speak sometimes", he added.
For him, Madam Osei must thread cautiously because her posturing and intransigence was baffling and had the potential of undoing Ghana's credentials as a pillar of democracy in Africa.
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