General News of Thursday, 27 July 2017
Source: peacefmonline.com
Seasoned journalist, Kweku Baako has lambasted the Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu over his comments on the EC staff allegations against their boss, Mrs. Charlotte Osei.
Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kweku Baako found Hon. Haruna Iddrisu's comments "irresponsible".
To him, it was a "needless intrusion" for the Minority Leader to have stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would resist any attempt by the Akufo-Addo led government to remove the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei.
The Minority Leader said the party would employ all means necessary to resist what he believed is a ploy by the NPP government to rid the EC of Mrs. Charlotte Osei.
According to him, the NDC won't sit nonchalantly to allow President Akufo-Addo to carry out his purported strategy to expel the EC Boss.
“Nana Akufo-Addo should not extend his encroachment and political polarization to EC," he said.
But to Kweku Baako, the Minority Leader's assertions could potentially cause disorder in the country.
"In terms of leadership responsibility or if you like irresponsibility, I think the NDC has been worse off in this matter. It was a needless intrusion that had the potential to just create chaos on the issue and it didn’t make sense to me. Honestly, I think that in his sober moment, he will know that he committed serious error of judgement,” he stated emphatically.
He added that the EC feud is not beyond restoration.
“The allegations and counter allegations must be investigated thoroughly. We don’t have any choice. Indeed, we don’t have the luxury of an alternative. Some people are saying that this has destroyed the EC’s credibility beyond repair and recovery, and that that’s about the end of the entity. Well, it has undermined its corporate integrity as well as some of the individual’s integrity but I don’t think it’s a fatal injury. It’s not irredeemable. Indeed, I feel it’s a healing through negative experience that we’re going to go through. This is an opportunity for us to look at the EC carefully.”
Expressing contrary views to the submissions by Kweku Baako on 'Kokrokoo' was the NDC Director of Elections, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.
Mr. Ofosu Ampofo insisted that he smells some unseen forces trying to manipulate the members of the EC so as to render the Commission "ungovernable".
“Is it being manipulated by some unseen hands because there’s no smoke without fire…Is it also true that some unseen hands are manipulating some members within the Commission to make the Commission ungovernable…Are some members within the Commission being manipulated to make the Commission ungovernable?” he also questioned.