Suhuyini raises eyebrow: Who’s behind EC boss’ impeachment at presidency?

The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini is giving credence to claims that petition asking for the impeachment of the Electoral Commission boss, was cooked at the presidency.

The process to remove the EC boss Mrs Charlotte Osei began with a petition to the president in July that suggested she has abused her office, caused financial loss to the state and breached Ghana’s procurement laws.

However, a prima facie case was established against her by the Chief Justice last week, which paved the way for the impeachment process to begin.

She has since been invited to make herself available for the impeachment hearing, which she has indicated her willingness to submit to the process.

But the MP for Tamale South on TV3’s New Day hosted by Abena Tabi on Saturday, indicated that how the petition was handled at the presidency before it was forwarded to the Chief Justice leaves much to be desired.

He recalled a first petition dropped at the presidency in the absence of President Akufo-Addo, who returned to the country to find the petition asking for the EC boss to be removed not dated and not signed by the petitioners.

Subsequently, a lawyer emerged with a petition he signed as the counsel for the about 17 petitioners who submitted the unaddressed petition.

This lawyer, Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, has himself been accused of championing a“decades-long vendetta” against the EC boss.

Alhassan Suhuyini hinged his suspicion about a collaboration at the seat of government on how the lawyer got involved with the petition.

He wondered how the presidency was able to trace the petitioners’ lawyer to submit a signed copy when the initial petition was without address, and there has not been any communication from the presidency looking for the petitioners whose identities have not been made public yet.

EC chairperson has yet to also receive a copy of the petition as submitted to the president. Based on this submission, he surmised that someone at the presidency knew about the petition and persons involved.

“Somebody at the presidency knew about this petition” he claimed, stating that when the issue of the unsigned and undated petition came up, the “person hinted whoever dropped it” which then got the lawyer to be involved. This among other circumstances surrounding the impeachment process, he stated, can “contrive” the substance of the case.

He therefore admonished the government to “handle this more tactfully and carefully”. Read also: Alhassan Suhuyini rallies support against Charlotte Osei’s impeachment