Mahama Petitioned to Remove EC Chair and Deputies

The Office of President John Dramani Mahama has been petitioned to remove Jean Mensah, the Electoral Commission Chairperson, her deputies, and a member from their positions.

The petition by Daniel Kwame Ofosu Appiah, a resident of Hohoe in the Volta Region, faults the Commission’s leadership of breach of the Fundamental Human Rights under Article 42, 32, 46 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution; incompetence and; bias.

Breach of Human Rights
In his allegation of breach of fundamental human rights, Daniel cited the disenfranchisement of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL) in the 2020 Parliamentary election that left them without a representative for four years.

“The disenfranchisement caused by the incompetence of the Electoral Commission leadership is a gross violation of their political rights as guaranteed by the constitution and international human rights instruments…”

Incompetence
In relation to the accusation of incompetence, he cited the 2020 Presidential election results that prompted a court petition by John Dramani Mahama who is now President.

“During the 2020 General elections, the Chairperson of the electoral commission declared the presidential election results but subsequently corrected the figures several times on the Electoral Commission’s official website. This unprecedented action created significant anxiety, uncertainty, and distrust in the electoral process across the country.”

“This led to the landmark 2020 Election Petition case, where the Supreme Court was called upon to adjudicate the validity of the declared results. The necessity of this legal recourse highlights the gross administrative failures of the Electoral Commission and its leadership, as well as their inability to fulfil their constitutional duty to conduct credible, transparent, and error-free elections.”

Bias
With regard to the concerns about bias, he cited social media posts by Dr. Bossman Eric Asare, a deputy EC Chair and Dr. Peter Appiahene, a member of the EC to accuse them of being allies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to him, Dr Appiahene is a card-bearing NPP member.

Threat
Daniel posited that the continued stay in office by these officials poses a threat to the confidence of the Ghanaian people in the electoral process.

“By these actions and inactions, the Chairperson and her deputies have undermined the integrity of the Electoral Commission and breached their constitutional duties under Articles 42, 46, 23 and 296.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini