EC boss, 2 others did not sit on Tender Board meeting - Report

Minutes from the Electoral Commission’s Tender Committee meeting on August 17, 2016 show that Mrs. Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, and two other members of the Commission’s Tender Board were absent when the Board sat for a tendering process.

The two others; Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, MP Manhyia and Alfred K. Agbesi, MP Ashaiman both representatives of Parliament were also not part.

The Tender Committee had invited selected companies that have been prequalified to do business with the commission to tender for the procurement of election educational flyers, notices of election and nomination, stamp pads, validating stamps, swivel chairs and proposals for the fit-out partitioning for the new EC offices Complex.

The public tender took place at the commission’s conference hall and was witnessed by the committee and representatives of companies that had submitted tenders.

The Director of Finance, Joseph K. Asamoah told the tenderers that Mrs. Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and Chairperson of the Entity Tender Committee had traveled.

According to the minutes, Mrs Jasmin M. Armah, a Senior State Attorney stood in for the External Panelist; Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, MP Manhyia and Alfred K. Agbesi, MP Ashaiman.

Other members present at the said meeting are Samuel Tetteh, Director of Elections, Samuel D. Buadu, Director of Human Resource and Marian A. Darkwah, Head of Procurement Unit and Secretary to the committee.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Osei is being investigated for presiding and supposedly awarding shady contracts while in office.

Despite being Chairperson of the Entity Tender Committee of Commission, she was not present at the committee’s meeting, she did not also take part of the evaluation process; neither did she prepare the procurement contract.