President Akufo-Addo has called on the Electoral Commission to disprove all allegations of her critics by ensuring it discharges its duties as prescribed by the law.
According to the President, a section of the public have attempted to stigmatize the Commission as being inefficient.
The Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Mensa and other members of the commission paid a courtesy call on the President at the Jubilee House as the last leg of the stakeholder consultation efforts of the Commission.
Addressing the Commission, President Akufo-Addo urged the Commission to ensure that every decision taken ahead of all upcoming elections, such as the District Assembly elections and the 2020 general elections, are speedily concluded for purposes of ensuring an efficient Electoral Commission for free and fair elections.
“There are sections of the Ghanaian community that have attempted to stigmatize you and the Commission as being inefficient, incapable of being able to run this institution efficiently and all of that. It’s going to be a big test for you to disprove these allegations and be able to show that whatever arrangements you put in place at the end of the day are efficient and enable therefore the Commission to deliver on its mandate in a manner that is incontestible,†President Akufo Addo.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, in her address to the President noted that over the last one year, the ECÂ has attempted to establish an effective governance structure for the Commission.
She also emphasized that the EC is currently recruiting new staff to boost the capacity of the institution. She also noted that a legal department has also been created since there has never been one in the entire history of the EC.
Again, the EC Chairperson indicated that concrete efforts have been made to institutionalize the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), the platform that brings together the leadership of all political parties in Ghana to dialogue on issues relating to elections.
“Since assuming office, we have tried to have at least one meeting every month to develop an agenda around which we can have constructive dialogue. I must say that it hasn’t been easy. We had a somewhat shaky start but as the months have gone by, that trust is being built across board and we are making some progress,†Mrs Mensa said.
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President Akufo Addo in his remarks stated that he has no personal interest in who runs the EC or not. His focus, he said, is to assist the EC which is a very important state institution to execute its mandate.
He also said : “I don’t need an Electoral Commission to win an election. I don’t want to win an election in Ghana because of the Electoral Commission. I want to win an election in Ghana because of the people of Ghana, that they make a free and open choice, that Akufo Addo again will be their choice. That will be my take on this and not because the Electoral Commission is helping me win an election.â€
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