Petition Calls for Dismissal of Electoral Commission Officials
A concerned citizen has recently filed a petition urging President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, along with her two deputies, Dr Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey, as well as commission member Dr Peter Appiahene. The petition, submitted on January 27, 2025, alleges that these officials have violated Article 42 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The petitioner, hailing from the Volta Region, specifically points to the disenfranchisement of voters in Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe (SALL) during the 2020 parliamentary election as a key issue. This exclusion left the residents without parliamentary representation, a move that the petitioner argues goes against Articles 23 and 296 of the Constitution and undermines public trust in the EC’s integrity.
The petition highlights:
For over four years, the people of SALL were denied their constitutional right to parliamentary representation, leaving them voiceless in the legislative process. During this period, the parliamentary composition hung in the balance.
The SALL region’s votes could have been decisive, potentially giving the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) a majority. By excluding these voters, the EC’s actions suggest a bias towards one party and an attempt to influence Parliament’s power balance.
In addition to the disenfranchisement issue, the petition accuses Jean Mensa and her deputies of incompetence and mismanagement. The petitioner also points to past statements and actions by Dr Bossman Asare and Dr Peter Appiahene that cast doubt on the EC’s impartiality.
This petition comes on the heels of a similar call to action by the Positive Transparency and Accountability Movement – Ghana (PTAAM-GH). The group, on January 8, 2025, accused the EC of causing financial loss to the state through the compilation of a new voter register and the procurement of new biometric devices for the 2020 general election.
