The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that he had no choice but to act on the recommendations of the Committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate complaints against the former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah.
Speaking publicly on the matter for the first time on Saturday, 30th June, 2018, at a townhall meeting with Ghanaians resident in Nouakchott, Mauritania, ahead of the conduct of the 31st AU Summit, President Akufo-Addo explained that he is duty bound to uphold the teachings of the Constitution.
According to the President, whenever a petition for the removal of a high-ranking public official, like the Electoral Commissioner, is forwarded to the President, all the President has to do, as is stipulated in the Constitution, is to refer the petition to Chief Justice, for her to decide if there is a prima facie case or not.
Once a prima facie case is established, the Chief Justice, in accordance with Article 146(4) of the Constitution, must establish a Committee to investigate the complaints. The Committee, in turn will make its recommendations to the Chief Justice, who shall, then, forward it to the President.
The Committee, the President noted, was composed of a Supreme Court Judge, two High Court judges, and two persons, who are neither lawyers nor Members of Parliament, and who were appointed by the Chief Justice on the advice of the Council of State.
“They (Committee) have been working over the last 6 months, and recommended that the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah, be removed from office on the grounds of stated misbehaviour and incompetence,” the President said.
He continued, “Article 146(9) of the Constitution demands that I act on the recommendations of the committee. I have no power to disagree with the recommendations of the Committee, the Constitution does not give me that power. That is why I have removed the Chairperson of the EC and the two deputies.”
Reiterating his commitment to build a country governed by the rule of law, the President indicated that the laws governing our country must not be a respecter of persons.
“I, as President, am bound to respect the laws of our land. If I go against the laws of the country, I will be dealt with. Likewise, if you also go against the laws of the country, you must be dealt with. It is sad (the removal of the three EC Chairs), but this is how it must be,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo stressed that the process that led to the removal of Charlotte Osei and her two deputies “was not borne out of hate, or a deliberate orchestration to remove some persons from their jobs.”
The petitioners, he added, are workers of the Electoral Commission and not faceless persons, as some would want Ghanaians to believe. The President also recounted the publicly documented spat between the 3 former EC chairpersons.
In the search for replacements, the President stated that “we are not looking for persons who are coming to do a job for the NDC or for the NPP. We are looking for persons who are coming to do a job for Ghana. That is what we are looking for, for the Electoral Commission”.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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How many other committee recommendations have you not acted upon. This was pre determined you are only fulfilling a promise you made to get her out. GOD will judge you!
Well done mr.president only ***barred word*** will not act on a committee recommendations
Good Job Nana
Anybody who wanted the EC Chair to stay in office just wants the destruction of Ghana and it will be advisable for them to change their unpatriotic mindset. There was credible evidence of corruption, electoral fraud and incompetence and the President had to act on the recommendations of the CJ. Let's discuss issues constructively without the influence of tribalism and politics.
I am not agaisst thw President's decision to let te EC go... But then...There are other instances where the President has disregarded vital acts of parliament even in the face of raised petitions. A case in point is the choice of HeFra leadership which contravenes the act that established HefRA. Until acts and constitutional provisions are ammended, i think its important that the President remains impartial in his adherence pattern
You hate her and deliberately made some unknown faces to petition. You won't find it easy for this decision though.
Why did you not criticize Prez Mahama? lol. Pls sodrink some water and sleep.
Or you were then in Egypt? How long it took her to declare the results? Why was she delaying in releasing the result? It was because she promised not to disappoint Prez Mahama, but could not keep her promise. Please go drink some water and sleep if you dont have anything better to contribute.
Amadu Sule is a known member of NDC, but in this case, he is on his own, unlike his former boss Charlotte osei you is being fought for by the party. As for Georgina Opoku Amankwah, her name is strangely missing from NDC's register. ***barred word*** Kingdom reenacted here.It is apparent, with the exit of Charlotte, NDC's chances of rigging the 2020 elections to power is bleak. As for the admittance of Voter ID for Ghana Card registration,it knows that battle is lost from the scratch. Charlotte was its only hope.
Charlotte Osei deserve more than just sacking. When Ghanaians were calling on her to reconsider her position in connections with certain issues prior to 2016 elections, she arrogantly defied. The logo issue and many more came up but she ignored everybody. For the 2016 elections, it was the Almighty Allah who interceded on behave of the good people of Ghana. This woman is so arrogant that her body language shows her intention. Any person the president chooses should know that he or she is working for mother Ghana but not NPP or NDC. The person should listen to the voices of the people. May Allah bless mother Ghana and the president Nana Akuffo Addo. Ameen.