Posted
on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Friday,
July 21, 2017
The petition sent to the presidency by unnamed staff
of the Electoral Commission (EC) against the Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, is
bringing out interesting issues and perceived rot at the commission.
Insatiable
Taste
The petitioners, who are being led by their counsel,
Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, are claiming that the EC boss spent gargantuan GH¢3.9
million to arrange a new office complex, they insist, she unilaterally took
from the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
“As part of
compromising her independence and neutrality, Mrs. Charlotte Osei claimed that
the EC has been allocated a new building for use as office complex without the
approval of the Commission. The 7-member
Commission has not at any point in time formally requested for any office
allocation since the Commission sees nothing wrong with the current office,”
the petition calling for her impeachment over allegations of abuse of office and
corruption stated.
“With
the chairperson’s insatiable demand for affluence and flamboyance, she
unilaterally awarded a contract to the tune of GH¢3.9 million for demarcation
and partitioning of the said office complex without recourse to the Commission,”
they alleged, adding, “She claimed she sought approval from the Public
Procurement Authority but strangely enough, the contract sum is higher than
PPA’s approval level.”
According
to the petitioners, the EC chairperson submitted an estimate of over GH¢1 million
for the renovation of her official bungalow without recourse to the Commission
or appropriate staff in the Commission.
Observer Mission Snub
The petition also recounted how the EC boss allegedly
snubbed Africa Union (AU) Observer Mission led by former South African
President, Thabo Mbeki, as well as the National Peace Council of Ghana in the
heat of the crucial 2016 general elections.
“The
chairperson, through her arrogant posture, brought embarrassment to the
Commission by refusing to grant audience to Members of the National Peace Council
and the leader of the Africa Union Delegation, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, the former
president of South Africa, during the 2016 General Election,” the petitioners
claimed.
The
staff also claimed that the new EC logo, which stoked heated political debate
after it turned out that it was even a plagiarized work, cost the commission a
whopping $25,000.
Personal Vendetta
According
to the petitioners, Mrs. Charlotte Osei “harboured personal vendetta against a
vendor by name Messrs Buck Press Limited, on the premise that he belongs to
NPP. She categorically made this statement in an interview with BBC.”
They
continued, “In view of this, she unilaterally without recourse to the
Commission removed the company’s name from the list of vendors already approved
by PPA to do business with the Commission contrary to the Public Procurement
Act.”
They
also accused her of undermining the long-standing contributions of her
predecessor - Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, saying, “The Chairperson, Mrs. Charlotte
Osei, assuming office, has consistently attempted to demonize her predecessor,
Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, and taking steps to de-recognise the legacy of her
predecessor.”
EOCO Petition
“The
Chairperson has brought the Commission’s name into disrepute for single-handedly
petitioning EOCO on an alleged misappropriation of staff endowment fund for
malicious reasons.
This is because the
issue has come before the entire Commission for redress. The decision to go to EOCO was not that of
the Commission’s but characteristically a unilateral decision by the
Chairperson.
“The
leadership of Mrs. Charlotte Osei has brought about an irreversible disunity
among Commission members to the extent that she is not on speaking terms with
the deputies and other Commission members.
There is total breakdown of the administrative structures of the
Commission.”
Charlotte
Fights Back
The EC boss is not taking the issues raised lightly
and has instructed her lawyers, as well as the counsel for the Commission, Sory
@ Law, to fight the case.
She is threatening to sue the staff who have
petitioned the president to initiate impeachment proceedings against her and wants
the lawyer for the petitioners to disclose the identities of the concerned
staff or face her in court.
She said in a letter to the petitioners’ lawyer that
“having perused the said letter to which was attached the allegations on the
basis of which the petition invoked the provisions of Article 146 of the 1992
Constitution of the Republic of Ghana for our client's impeachment; we have
noted several defamatory statements in respect of which we have our client's
irrevocable instructions to take immediate action against your clients who have
not been disclosed on the face of your letter.
“At all times material to our present letter to you,
your letter has received widespread publication in the mass and social media by
way of radio broadcasts and discussions, including comments in blatant
violation of the confidentiality requirements of Article 146 of the 1992
Constitution pursuant to which you have petitioned the President of the
Republic of Ghana.”
Amorphous
Group
The Chairperson’s lawyers said, “Be that as it may,
having observed from your letter by virtue of which the petition to the president
is conveyed that your clients are an amorphous group of people described as ‘concerned
staff of the Electoral Commission.’
“Our client has instructed us to demand from you and
we hereby so demand the full list of these ‘concerned staff of the Electoral
Commission’ to enable us commence legal action against them for the defamatory
statements contained in their petition, failing which our client will be
constrained to proceed against you alone as defendant in the suit; our client
intends to commence action against them since you are to all intents and
purposes, their agent.”
Mrs. Osei said “her decision to seek remedy in court
for the protection of her reputation without prejudice to the Article 146
proceedings triggered by you.”
Lawyer
Adamant
The lawyer for the petitioners, Maxwell
Opoku-Agyemang, shot back at the EC boss, insisting that he was not prepared to
reveal the identities of his clients until a properly constituted body had been
set up to investigate the issues and said he was ready to face her in court.
He told Citi
FM yesterday that he has enough evidence to support the allegation his
clients made against the EC boss.
“I’ll be very glad to meet them in court. If anybody
suggests that there has been defamation, it will make my day. I’m not the type
of person who will be intimidated by the use of these words which would not
even intimidate a fly. A petition has been sent and we will follow through the
petition. We will make sure that that petition is proceeded with as required by
law.
“The clients are available and at the appropriate
phase, we will disclose them. They have offices and they will be known…I will
disclose it to the office to whom I submitted the petition,” he said.
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