National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Samuel Gyamfi has outlined what he describes as acts which vindicate former President Mahama’s questioning of the neutrality of the Chairperson and first Deputy of the Electoral Commission.
Mr. John Mahama recently cast doubts over the Electoral Commission’s (EC) ability to conduct neutral general elections in 2020.
He maintained that, the EC has not been transparent with the political parties in their dealings ahead of the polls next year.
“They need to prove us wrong. We have our doubts that they can be neutral and fair… the current posture and the way they are conducting things makes us doubt that they will be neutral and fair in 2020,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Citi FM.
Mr Mahama added that, the posture of the EC Chair, Mrs Jean Mensa, does not give confidence to the electoral body.
“Public office is a hazard. I mean people will criticise you. The president is criticized everyday not to talk about an electoral commissioner. And so you should not become sensitive to criticism and behave as if you are at war with a political party. And so I’ll advise that she changes her posture. Her posture doesn’t give confidence that she is going to be neutral in this matter,” the former President noted.
Mr. Samuel Gyamfi highlighted that “the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensah was caught on video frolicking and partying with female appointees of President Akufo-Addo in December 2018. Her inability to stay above political reproach by wining and dining with elements within government at the least opportunity brings into question her neutrality and professionalism.”
He also noted that “the NDC was only given a 45 minute notice to the first IPAC meeting called by the Jean Mensah-led EC”, a situation he described as absurd and unreasonable.
Below is the full statement by Samuel Gyamfi
SEVEN (7) ACTS OF JEAN MENSAH & BOSSMAN ASARE WHICH VINDICATE JM’s DOUBTS ABOUT THEIR NEUTRALITY.
1. The NDC was only given a 45 minute notice to the first IPAC meeting called by the Jean Mensah-led EC. This was absurdly unreasonable, grossly unfair, and defied all rules that govern notices for IPAC meetings and meetings in general. Even though the EC later apologized to the NDC, it blatantly refused to give the NDC a hearing on the serious matters discussed and the decisions reached at the said meeting.
2. In an unprecedented turn of events, the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensah was caught on video frolicking and partying with female appointees of President Akufo-Addo in December 2018. Her inability to stay above political reproach by wining and dining with elements within government at the least opportunity brings into question her neutrality and professionalism.
3. The EC Chairperson, Jean Mensah lied in her press release of 27th March, 2019 that IPAC had extensively discussed and unanimously agreed to a compilation of a new voters register for the 2020 elections, when that was not even part of the agenda for the said IPAC meeting. When the NDC complained about the falsehood peddled by the EC Chairperson and sought to set the records straight, her insolent henchman, Bossman Asare told us to go to hell and that, the EC doesn’t need our opinion in doing their work. Till date, Jean Mensah has refused to publicly retract and apologize for that insulting lie.
4. Bossman Asare is on record to have described the NDC as a threat to Ghana’s democracy. How can the NDC be reasonably expected to trust the neutrality of Bossman Asare in view of this fact? How can we trust Bossman to be a fair referee in the 2020 upcoming elections?
5. In spite of the fact that the EC is enjoined by the 1992 Constitution and the Political Parties law to supervise all internal elections of all political parties, Bossman Asare in a display of legendary intolerance, arrogance, hatred and ignorance, threatened the NDC that the Jean Mensah-led EC will refuse to supervise future internal NDC elections if we don’t desist from criticizing him and his Boss, Jean Mensah. Criticism is part of any healthy democracy, and for Bossman to be averse to criticism impugns his credibility.
6. In an inexplicable display of hatred and disrespect for the NDC, Jean Mensah openly reprimanded and attacked the General Secreatry of the NDC for laughing during an IPAC meeting.
7. In spite of the fact that Parliament has approved money for the EC to conduct this year’s (2019) limited registration exercise in all the 6000 electoral areas of Ghana, the recalcitrant Jean Mensah-led EC is hellbent on disenfranchising over 1 million eligible Ghanaian voters by restricting the process to only the 216 district offices of the EC. These and other acts provide sufficient grounds for the NDC's mistrust in the neutrality of the Jean Mensah-led EC.
NDC National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi