The Centre for Democratic and Accountable Government (CEDAG) has petitioned President Akufo-Addo to remove deputy chairperson of the electoral commission Dr. Bossman Asare from office.
According to the group, their demand is based on the fact that the deputy EC boss publicly campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote in the cancelled referendum.
“Dr Bossman Asare, in the exercise of his duty as the Deputy Chairperson of the of the Electoral Commission, on the 18th of November 2019, on 3FM, openly campaigned for a vote of ‘yes’ in the referendum on article 55(3) which has seen a strong opposition across the various social construct of the country; political parties, CSOs, chiefs, opinion leaders and the general public at large.
“It is, highly, reprehensible, the conduct of the Deputy Chairperson, Dr Bossman Asare, who heads and oversees the elections and the electoral process of our country, to take sides and openly campaign in favour of a moiety of the opposing groups,” the petition said.
Below are details of the petition
16th November 2019.
Your Excellency the President of Ghana,
Flagstaff House, Accra.
Your Excellency,
Petition Against the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Dr Bossman Asare.
As public interest advocates, we write to bring to your notice a compendium of misconduct of the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Dr Bossman Asare, which cast a shadow of slur on him as a person that is not fit for the job of Deputy Electoral Commissioner.
Your Excellency, your all-too-nigh salutary proposition and inimitable initiation of the upcoming referendum to get political parties sponsor candidates for the local level elections comes into sharp focus, vis-à-vis the conduct of Dr Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, upon which this petition hinges.
As we welcome the need to tweak our 1992 republican constitution to reflect the evergreen living legal document of our time, we appreciate that we should do so within the acceptable professional conduct as required by the offices we occupy.
Dr Bossman Asare, in the exercise of his duty as the Deputy Chairperson of the of the Electoral Commission, on the 18th of November 2019, on 3FM, openly campaigned for a vote of ‘yes’ in the referendum on article 55(3) which has seen a strong opposition across the various social construct of the country; political parties, CSOs, chiefs, opinion leaders and the general public at large.
It is, highly, reprehensible, the conduct of the Deputy Chairperson, Dr Bossman Asare, who heads and oversees the elections and the electoral process of our country, to take sides and openly campaign in favour of a moiety of the opposing groups.
This, we find highly dangerous, as it is literally likened to striking a match close to aviation fuel. Nobody wants to see the end results, especially in our part of the country where the political environment mostly gets overly charged.
The certitude that he will guarantee us a transparent, free and fair referendum to reflect the sovereign will of the denizens is zilch and does not offer us any hope in his role as the referee for the referendum.
Another conduct of his, which does not nurture a healthy political environment is seen when after the appointment of Dr Bossman Asare to the office of the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, he has openly stated: “The actions of the country’s biggest opposition party, the NDC, are gradually becoming a cause for worry for the peace and stability in the country.”
Statements like this coming from him engender mistrust and raises suspicion of fair treatment by Dr Bossman Asare to the opposition party, which is a major player in our political praxis.
Though officers of the Commission, at some point in time, will be appointed by the government of a particular party, they are not under any obligation to favour or exhibit any conduct to suggest same as such conduct has the tendency to destabilise the peace of the country.
Our democracy cannot be toyed with by anybody or group of persons whose conduct and attitude fail to build the hope and the trust needed in a democracy anchored on institutions like the Electoral Commission, like the case of Dr Bossman Asare and, so, I am asking you to really consider the rarity and precocity of this opportunity to remove Dr Bossman Asare from office as the Deputy Commissioner to restore confidence and safeguard our democracy and the peace of the country.
Your Excellency, have the assurances of our highest esteem and surveillance.
Yours in the service of Ghana.
Humbly submitted
Awuni Akyireba – 0501363192
Frank Aboagye Danyansa – 0244470257
Osei Kofi Acquah – 0202805863
Dr Asare Bediako Adams – 0248599959
Cc: The National Peace Council, Ghana
British High Commission, Ghana
ECOWAS Parliament
Embassy of the United States, Ghana
German Embassy, Ghana
Jacob Osei Yeboah
New Patriotic Party
National Democratic Congress
Convention People’s Party