The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused President Akufo-Addo of defying the independence of the Electoral Commission (EC) and rendering it a political institution.
The unhelpful tag, Mustapha Gbande explained, is because of the appointment of the members of his party to the EC which is supposed to be an independent body devoid of political appointments.
"His Excellency the President clearly has defied the independence of the Electoral Commission and rendered it a political institution by appointing known members and operatives of his party,” he stated.
His comments come after President Akufo-Addo on March 29 swore into the office of the Electoral Commission, three new members.
However, their appointments have been criticised, with civil society calling on two of the members to resign.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, Mr Gbande stated that “one of the commissioners appointed recently from the Bono Region is actually the Director of IT for the NPP in the 2020 election.
“And so you cannot call such an individual an ordinarily Ghanaian who will qualify to represent this very preserved institution by the Constitution of Ghana."
According to him, the newly appointed members with party affiliations “must see that the independence of their work won’t be one that the public will trust because of your affiliation with the NPP.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) is demanding the immediate resignation of Dr. Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani as members of the Electoral Commission (EC).
They hold the view that these appointments have the tendency to make the EC look partisan and will affect its credibility in future elections.
The duo’s resignation therefore will “be in the supreme interest of our country’s continual democratic progress, election peace and credibility and indeed, the overall national interest.”
Latest Stories
-
Man remanded for uploading nude videos of a lady he lured into a relationship
6 hours -
Explainer: What is the Cash Waterfall Mechanism?
6 hours -
Survivors of child trafficking overcome adversity, excel in tertiary education
7 hours -
Confront the barriers to your progress – Professor Lydia Aziato challenges the youth
7 hours -
Expertise France leads EU-funded initiative empowering African Journalists to combat human trafficking
7 hours -
Ghana Grows Programme empowers Ghanaian youth through Youth Policy Dialogue
7 hours -
Eastern NDC raises GHS5.4m to support Mahama’s 2024 campaign
8 hours -
Kumawood actress Akyere Bruwaa condemns death rumours
8 hours -
Ghana Institution of Engineering calls for proactive measures to prevent flood disaster
8 hours -
Who pays for the extra cost? – COCOBOD CEO questions EU on new regulations
8 hours -
‘Dumsor’ will be over by end of May – Former NPP MP assures
8 hours -
Power crisis is not about money – NPP Manifesto Committee member
8 hours -
Education Minister urges graduates to embrace opportunities
8 hours -
UN rights chief ‘horrified’ by mass grave reports at Gaza hospitals
9 hours -
We need more resources to deal with flooding – NADMO
9 hours