EC row blessing in disguise - Lecturer

A political science lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Osei Kwadjo has stated that the current bickering among the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei and her two deputies has helped to unravel the ills at the Commission.

According to him, “if these matters had not come out, Ghanaians would not have known the extent to which alleged corruption and fraud has eaten into the Election Management Body.

Some staff of the EC have petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo to remove Mrs Osei from office over allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance.

Mrs Osei has counter-alleged corruption against his deputies insisting that she has done nothing wrong but being hounded because she is fighting internal graft.

She has also sued the lawyer representing the anonymous petitioners, Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, for defamation.

The accusations and counter allegations have thrown the EC into a state of turmoil with critics saying it has lost its credibility to conduct elections in the future.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday referred the petition to Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo as stipulated by the Constitution.

In an interview, Mr Kwadjo, who is also a private legal practitioner, said: “It will be dangerous for the Chair to be removed without any basis and so we need to tread cautiously.

“I am happy with the development at the EC, it is very good that these matters are coming up because it gives us the privilege to clean the EC, having in mind constitutional provisions.

The allegations being thrown about clearly show a weak EC which we have all been dealing with all these years,” he noted