The Christian Council of Ghana has reiterated the need to use Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms to address the current dispute at the Electoral Commission (EC) in order to put an end to the intensifying uproar between some staff and the Chairperson of the commission, Charlotte Osei.
Speaking to JoyNews Prime, the General Secretary of the Council, Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, described the tension as an “unfortunate” challenge which must be resolved immediately, else the commission’s credibility be dragged into disrepute.
According to Dr. Opuni, after all the peace preached ahead of the 2016 general election, it is very sad to be going through post election challenges.
He said, although the current impasse is a test for the country’s democracy, as an institution responsible for conducting credible elections, there is the need to act with cautiously so as to maintain public trust, therefore, if not properly addressed, the integrity and public confidence in the EC will be destroyed.
“We are confronted with what I may call institutional credibility. The electoral commission is the heart of our electoral system and the institutional credibility must be protected,” he said.
He added, “Now if we get to a point where people have a reason not to have confidence and trust in the judgement of the EC it will be a threat to our democracy.
He has urged the EC to end the fight and make preparations toward the 2020 elections.
“We have 2020 election ahead of us and whatever we do we must keep that in mind the peace and national cohesion of this country must be protected,” he advised.
The infighting in the Electoral Commission started after some unnamed staff of the commission petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Chairperson, Charlotte Osei.
The petitioners levelled serious allegations against Madam Charlotte Osei including abuse of office and breaches of contracts and the public procurement process.
However, Madam Charlotte Osei has debunked the allegations and has also accused her two deputy commissioners of illegally taking some GHC6 million from political parties without informing the Commission’s Finance Department.
Below is the full response submitted to EOCO
EC boss debunks allegations levelled against her by unfazed staff by GhanaWeb on Scribd
Source: www.ghanaweb.com