President swear-in new EC Chairperson, deputies

President swear-in new EC Chairperson, deputies

Ghana News Agency, Thu, Aug 2, 2018

by GNA

Accra, Aug. 2, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday swore-into office the new Commissioner for the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensah.
He also inducted into office, her two deputies, Mr Samuel Tetteh, and Dr Eric Bossman Asare, as well as Ms Adwoa Asuma Abrefi, as a member of the Commission.

The move follows the removal from office by the President on Thursday, June 28, 2018, of the then Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, together with her two deputies, Mr. Amadu Sulley and Mrs Georgina Opoku Amankwah, on grounds of stated misconduct and incompetence, as found by the Committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate petitions levelled against them.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra, President Akufo-Addo reminded the EC Chairperson that she and deputies had come to office at a time when there was considerable national anxiety about the work of the Commission.

He said to erase the public’s uneasiness, the Commissioner and her deputies should reassure Ghanaians by the quality of their work and to be diligent in the performance of their assigned duties.

The President in emphasizing the importance of credible elections, pointed out that the count, the collation and the declaration of results “cannot and should not be more important than the sacred, God-given right of a citizen casting his or her ballot.”

“I have said it before, and I will repeat it. Elections are about those who cast the vote, not those who count, not those who supervise, not those who transmit, and not those who declare. The heart of the democratic process is giving effect to the choices made by those who cast the vote,” he stressed.

President Akufo-Addo was confident that the new EC Chairperson, her two deputies, and Member of the Electoral Commission, would bring integrity, professionalism, and independence and fairness of mind to the discharge of their duties.

He however asked them to be guided by the events of the past year, saying, “Remember that, now more than ever, every single decision you take will be scrutinized to the letter.”

“That, however, should not scare you, and, indeed, let no one try to cow you into submission. On the contrary, let this expectation of the Ghanaian people spur you on to great heights, and, above all, work so that the will of the Ghanaian people is upheld,” he said.

The President told the Chairperson that he had forwarded to the Commission the recommendations of the Report from the Brobbey Commission of Inquiry, on the creation of new regions to her office as she begins work.

The recommendations of the report enjoins the Commission to organise referenda in the six areas of the demand for the creation of new regions, which would guide the conduct of the 2020 elections.

Mrs Mensah expressed appreciation for the honour done her and her colleagues to serve the nation, and pledged that they would discharge their duties to the best of their abilities.


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