General News of Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-07-26
Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission with her deputy Amadu Sulley
Effutu MP Alexander Afenyo Markins caused a stir in parliament after he subtly invited Charlotte Osei to explain a criminal allegation she has leveled against her deputy.
Although the question time was limited to media accreditation fees allegedly unaccounted for, Afenyo Markin managed to sneak in a question relating to internal wranglings at the EC.
Charlotte Osei has accused her deputy Amadu Sulley of collecting ¢6million from political parties for the organisation of party primaries without the knowledge of the commission’s Finance Department.
But the Effutu MP wanted to know whether the money collected by the deputy was lodged into the same EC account which held accreditation fee for the media in the 2016 general elections.
The question caused a stir among the Minority before the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu shot it down. He explained the question is not related to the substantive reason for which the chairperson was invited
North Tongu MP Okudzeto Ablakwa also tried to sneak in a question about procurement processes at the commission. Charlotte Osei has been accused of breaching procurement law in the award of some contracts.
She replied, she needed to prepare an explanation because her summon to parliament did not relate to procurement issues.
Minority leader used his opportunity to express satisfaction about the EC’s response. But the Majority leader jabbed that his political rival had turned a question time into “praise-singing time”.
Haruna Iddrisu has been defensive of the EC after a petition calling for her impeachment surfaced in the media.
He accused the governing NPP of being behind an unprecedented attempt to remove the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei.
