General News of Tuesday, 25 July 2017
Source: adomonline.com
2017-07-25
President Akufo-Addo
Pressure is mounting on President Nana Akufo-Addo to act swiftly in the rift between the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) and two deputies to save the institution from collapsing.
According to the Executive Director of anti-corruption group, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Linda Ofori Kwafo, the future of the EC rest on how President can resolve the issues between Mrs Charlotte Osei and her two deputies Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaah over the allegations of fraud.
The confusion between the three commissioners could lead to chaos which in her opinion could affect the country’s election in 2020
Ofori Kwafo made the call in an interview on Adom FM’s Burning Issues programme hosted by Afia Pokua.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei is currently facing allegations of financial misappropriation by some unidentified persons who want her impeached, a petition before President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo filed by some workers of the Commission against EC boss, Charlotte Osei.
Allegations raised in the petition range from questions about her managerial competence, political neutrality and what the staff say are breaches of contracts and the public procurement act.
Per the Constitution, the President is expected to forward the petition to the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo for a prima facie case to be established in the matter.
But Ms. Ofori Kwafo believes the presidency must act on the matter quickly to prevent the integrity of the EC.
She also called on the commissioners to ceasefire with their allegations and counter press statements in the interest of the nation’s democracy.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), Albert Arhin also added his voice to the numerous calls by groups such as the Christian Council of Ghana, the National Peace Council and other bodies for proper investigations into the matter.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei has been summoned by Parliament to appear tomorrow Wednesday to account for monies received from media for coverage of the 2016 elections.
She will be there to respond to questions about how much money the Commission raised and what is used it for.
The Chairperson will also be answering questions about how much the Commission expended on the replacement of lost voter ID Cards.
