General News of Friday, 14 January 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-01-14Akufo-Addo uninterested in removing Jean Mensa over SALL – Mahama’s aide
President Akufo-Addo (right) with EC chairperson Jean Mensa
#FixTheCountry movement wants Jean Mensa, deputies removed
They accuse EC of failing to give SALL Parliamentary representation
Sall voted only in the Presidential election in 2020 polls
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not
Read full articlebe a party to any process that seeks to remove the Electoral Commissioner and her deputies from office.
This is the view of Edudzi Cudjoe Tamekloe, an aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, who referred to the president as a ‘chief clearing agent’ who did not have the mind to even properly evaluate a petition seeking the removal.
Edudzi made the observation while speaking on the Good Morning Ghana programme on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. He was contributing to the debate on a petition filed by the FixTheCountry movement seeking the removal of Jean Mensa and her two deputies.
The petition cited the inability of the EC chair and her deputies to ensure that they execute the constitutional mandate of providing the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Lipke, SALL; with a Member of Parliament.
“I have seen the petition, first of all, the chief clearing agent, if you are sending such a petition to him, he does not have the capacity, the mind to even do a proper evaluation of the nature of the petition and the issues raised.
“Invariably, what he is going to do is to clear the chairperson of the Electoral Commission. Never in the history of our country has an EC taken a decision to deliberately deny a group of people representation in Parliament,” he charged.
“It was so deliberate that it is unjustifiable,” he added explaining the circumstances around which the EC on the eve of the vote, issued a directive that said they (people of SALL) could only participate in Presidential not Parliamentary elections of 2020.
Describing the EC leadership as puppets of the government, Edudzi stressed that their lack of motivation to create a SALL constituency and hold an election is because the opposition National Democratic Congress is likely to win the seat and further deepen the Parliamentary headaches of government.
“Now today, the current crop of Electoral Commissioners who have invariably become puppets of the government will not do anything because if an election is to be conducted in SALL, it will change the dynamics in the current Parliament.”
He cited Mahama’s big win over Akufo-Addo in the Presidential polls held in SALL and translated the same to mean an NDC candidate will annex the seat.
“And so, Jean Mensa for her life will never conduct an election in that area, it will never happen and Akufo-Addo will not allow an election in that area. Let us not deceive ourselves,” he said.
An official at the Flagstaff House, Richard Ahiagbah, who was a co-panellist contested the claim that the NDC was going to win the seat if polls are held.
Whiles submitting that the President was the representative of the SALL people in the current Parliament, he stressed that a process is in motion to address the issue citing the fact that a District has so far been created and a DCE duly appointed.
But for Edudzi, he had words of consolation for the campaigners who presented their petition to the Presidency on Monday, January 10, 2022.
“My good friend Oliver (Barker Vormawor) and his friends in #FixTheCountry, you have taken a good initiative to ensure representation for a group of people but the person who is going to be the ultimate receiver if the petition is completely not interested, regrettably,” he stressed.
