EC’s image has dwindled, left with 10% credibility – CODEO

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) says the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) must work harder to salvage its dwindling image over the years.

This comes on the back of CODEO demanding the immediate resignation of two out of the three newly appointed commissioners to the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC).

President Akufo-Addo on March 20 sworn into office Dr. Peter Appiahene, Haji Salima Ahmed Tijani and Rev. Akua Ofori Boateng urged them to uphold diligence in executing their mandate.

Commenting on the development on Starr Today on Wednesday with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, the National Coordinator for CODEO, Albert Arhin stated that two newly appointed members of the EC whose credibility are being questioned must resign in their own interest.

“This is coming from the Star Ghana and the rest and this is how the CSOs see it, they see it as something that will not augur well for the Electoral Commission. Because the image has dwindled, the EC now has 10percent of confidentiality with regards to the way the people see it.

“This is the background I was talking about how within time the EC has been falling in terms of credibility. So this is a typical case of credibility to let go. The CSOs will meet and depending on whatever happened there may be the next phase of what will come,” Mr. Arhin stated.

He continued: “But you cannot force anybody to resign can you? You cannot force the President to let them resign or whatever and even with case of the people who have already being appointed they have to go through a whole lot of process but we have come out in the public, we have come out with the bare fact about the implications and what the EC can do it image and the overall security of the country. Maybe the people themselves will see that they are treading on dangerous grounds and resign in their own interest.”

However, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Rev. Dr. Fredrick Degbey, a leading member of the election observer body said their partisan stands will affect the EC’s credibility.

“We are painfully aware that voluntary and constitutionally grounded revocation of these unfortunate and democratically problematic EC appointments by the President is extremely unlikely. However, nothing stops the affected appointees, namely Dr. Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Tijani from voluntarily and honourably resigning from the EC.

“This will be in the supreme interest of our country’s continued democratic progress, election peace and credibility and indeed overall national interest,” Rev Degbey stated

He further indicated that “Dr. Appiah-hene is a senior lecturer at the University of Energy and Natural Recourse where heads the department of Computer Science and Informatics. We also learn that Dr. Appiahene holds a PHD in Computer Science and an MPhil in Information Technology in both the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Since the announcement of his appointment he is a member of the EC, social media posting has revealed that Mr. Appiahene is an activist of the New Patriotic Party in the Bono Region.

“In one social media post in 2021 Dr. Appiah-Hene is featured on an NPP flyer as one of the six prospects for the position of the Bono Regional Minister. The commenter who put out that post states that the Bono region and the NPP party need much more vibrant and energetic leaderships to help to take the region to the desired growth and urged all in the region to rally behind Dr. Appiah-Hene.”