EC dismissals: Only ignoramuses will blame Akufo-Addo – Boadu

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has debunked assertions that President Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) deliberately masterminded the sacking of Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Charlotte Osei and her two deputies.

According to Acting General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, it is unfortunate that their political opponents are propagating such falsehood only to cast a slur on the party and government.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, 3 July 2018, Mr Boadu said President Akufo-Addo only acted on the recommendations of the committee that was set up by the Chief Justice to investigate the claims against the three top EC officials.

He said the NPP has noted “rather sadly, comments being made, especially by the opposition NDC and its surrogates in the media and elsewhere suggesting that His Excellency President Akufo-Addo and the NPP deliberately masterminded the sacking of the former EC boss, based on which premise, some of them are proceeding to call for civil disobedience and chaos in the country as a registration of their protest against this development”.

He said the NPP “condemns all such reckless and potentially treasonable comments and proceeds to call on the police and the other relevant security agencies to act accordingly as provided by law in order not to jeopardise the peace and security of this country”.

On the sacking of the former EC officials, the party said “it would take an ignoramus to think and suggest that President Akufo-Addo or the NPP could have orchestrated their sacking.

“We wish to remind those who genuinely do not know or pretend to know not that, this country is governed by law not emotions or whims and caprices of individuals. Neither is the country governed by the wishes of political parties. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana remains the supreme law of Ghana and as you would all agree, all the processes leading to their removal from office are in absolute compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and nothing more; nothing less.

“It is also a truism that this whole thing started with internal wrangling involving the 3 top EC officials throwing mud at one another with all manner of accusations and counteraccusations which eventually found expressions in petitions filed by some workers of the Electoral Commission thereby triggering Article 146 of the Constitution. The President only performed what the constitution of Ghana enjoins him to perform by first of all, referring such petitions to the Chief Justice and acting in accordance with the recommendations of the committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate the complaints having established a prima facie case.

For them, the President had absolutely no option but to act in accordance with the committee’s recommendations else he would be held in breach of the Constitution and that may constitute a ground for his impeachment.

“We all owe it a duty to respect the constitution of our country and nobody is above the laws of Ghana, not even the President. So, if the President himself is subject to the laws of Ghana, then certainly Charlotte Osei and her deputies cannot be above the laws and Constitution of Ghana,” Mr Boadi added.