General News of Wednesday, 5 December 2018
Source: Peacefmonline.com
2018-12-05
Dr. Bossman Asare
The Electoral Commission has decided to go back to its original logo which bears the Coat of Arms and has a ballot box showing the hand casting its vote.
The EC under the leadership of Madam Charlotte Osei, changed the logo in 2016 to a multi-coloured one because according to her, “we do not represent the authority of the state. We are more than the ballot box. Our mandate is beyond just the ballot box as we’ve explained and we believe that the Coat of Arms does not speak to the independence, legal and functional independence of the commission.”
However, a memo dated December 4, 2018 and signed by Chairperson Jean Adukwei Mensa, indicated that with effect from today, the original logo has been restored.
Dr. Bossman Asare, a deputy EC boss explained on Peace FM’s ‘kokrokoo’ programme Thursday that all the seven Commissioners of the Electoral body unanimously agreed that the commission should get back to using its old logo.
According to him the old logo depicts ‘Transparency, Fairness and Intergrity’ as the core mandate of the election management body.
He said it was very easy in understanding the logo as the staff themselves found it difficult in explaining the new logo introduced by the past EC boss, Madam Charlotte Osei.
Though he didn’t believe the decision by Charlotte Osei was a unilateral decision, he felt it didn’t go through the required proper process to be accepted by all.
“We don’t have the intention that we want to undermine somebody or shame someone . . . we just want to engage in prudent use of the resources of the country,” he told Kwami Sefa Kayi while explaining how costly it will be for the commission to discard the new logo.
Mrs Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa were removed from office as chairperson and deputies on Thursday, June 28, 2018 by President Akufo-Addo.
This was after a Committee established by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, found them to be incompetent, guilty of misbehaviour and breach of procurement laws in the award of several contracts and subsequently recommended their removal from office.