A political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has chastised President Nana Akufo-Addo over a circular purportedly from the presidency requesting the CVs of senior management members of the Electoral Commission (EC).
The circular from the EC’s Director of Human Resource , Samuel Boadu, to the head office and regional directors said “the Office of the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has requested for the Curricula Vitae of Senior Management of State Agencies from Director and above.”
He indicated that the instruction was not to the EC alone but other state agencies.
However, Professor Gyampo believes there is a clandestine move by the Presidency to manipulate the electoral management body.
Condemning the President over the development, the political scientist stated, “The history of Ghana’s Fourth Republic show that you [Akufo-Addo] are currently the worse President in promoting the sanctity of the independence of the Electoral Commission.”
“Why do you want to do this to an Independent Commission? It appears under your tenure, you are doing everything you can to decimate the independence of all independent institutions, but to what end?” he quizzed.
He noted that the President’s excesses have largely gone unchecked due to the lack of courageous people to call him to order.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t courageous people around you to tell you to back off your attempts at annexing the Electoral Commission. Back in the days, Dan Botwe as General Secretary of the NPP could boldly tell President Kufuor in the face to back off his attempt to usurp the procurement powers of the Electoral Commission and the President had no choice than to listen.”
He continued, “Please leave office and leave the sanctity of our independent institutions intact. This is not a practice worth emulating or repeating, Sir. This demand is unnecessary and it’s optics for the quest to deal with the independence deficit of the Electoral Commission are bad.”
Prof. Gyampo also urged the EC to be assertive in defending its independence from such executive encroachment.
“But the Electoral Commission too must not be seen to be swallowing everything thrown to them by the President hook, line and sinker. As an independent Commission, it is backed by law to resist every attempt at subjugating the Commission under the Executive President,” he concluded in his Facebook post on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.
Source: Myxyzonline.com