Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
An independent parliamentary candidate
for Akatsi South in the Volta Region is accusing the Electoral Commission (EC)
of clandestinely appointing a Returning Officer for the constituency without
recourse to the law.
According to Evans Gadeto Dzikunu, the
appointment of Joseph Fleagbo is illegal.
He has therefore petitioned the EC Chairperson
Charlotte Osei to investigate circumstances surrounding the appointment without
delay since the officer’s conduct in previous elections remains questionable.
Lawyer Dzikunu alleged that Mr. Fleagbo,
the Returning Officer of Akatsi South, who has been ‘shortchanging’ other
candidates to enable the NDC to sail through in the constituency where current Speaker
of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho was once the MP for many years.
In the petition, he called on the EC to
investigate the circumstances leading to the re-appointment of Mr. Fleagbo as
the Returning Officer when he was not part of the three people selected by the
Volta Regional EC after competitive interviews to supervise the December 7
general elections.
Lawyer Dzikunu attached a list of the
names of all the people selected by the EC as Returning Officers plus their two
deputies each for constituency to the petition, and Mr. Fleagbo’s name was not
part of it.
He mentioned those lawfully selected by
the EC regional office in Ho for Akatsi South as Lumortsey Michael Klu, the
Returning Officer, as well as Mawuli Dzobo Gatogo and Abraham Yaw Kuwornu, the
Deputy Returning Officers.
According to the lawyer, applicants with
first degrees were considered, adding that the man the EC regional office
clandestinely brought to head the place does not even qualify per C.I 94 which will
regulate this year’s election.
“When was Mr. Fleagbo appointed the
District Returning Officer for Akatsi South after the appointment of Lumortsey
Michael Klu as the Returning Officer, as well as Mawuli Dzobo Gatogo and
Abraham Yaw Kuwornu as the Deputy Returning Officers?” he quizzed.
The petitioner said the properly selected
officers duly swore their oath before a judge, adding that when he raised the
alarm that Mr. Fleagbo had not been sworn in, the EC officials quickly took him
to a Magistrate in Akatsi to swear an oath as required by the law and demoted the
duly selected and more qualified returning officer.
Mr. Dzikunu, in the petition, has questioned
the legal basis for the appointment of four persons as Returning Officers in
Akatsi South alone when all other constituencies in the region have three each.
“There are bigger municipal assemblies in
Ho and Keta where there are only three Returning Officers so why is Akatsi
having four?”
“What is the motive for bringing Mr.
Fleagbo back to the Akatsi South District Electoral Office through the back
door when his credibility has been seriously damaged in the eyes of the public?”
He said “is it not because of the ulterior
motive or some vested interests by the powers that be which informed the
purported appointment of Mr. Fleagbo as the Returning Officer despite the swearing
in of three competent officers?”
He said because of his protests, Mr.
Fleagbo tried to ‘play delay’ tactics when he sent his campaign team to present
his bankers’ draft at the close of nominations in order to disqualify him, adding
that his team was insistent and finally submitted the documents.
Lawyer Dzikunu said Mr. Fleagbo’s
appointment should be immediately revoked to promote transparency and fairness.
“I wish to state here that the people of
Akatsi South are fully prepared to resist any attempt to manipulate the
electoral process in favour of one candidate or party.”
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