Provide petition seeking my removal - Charlotte Osei to Akufo-Addo

The Chair of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, has requested President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to furnish her with a copy of the petition seeking her removal from office for alleged breaches of the law.

Some unnamed staff of the Commission in July 2017 petitioned Nana Akufo-Addo to remove Mrs. Osei over alleged abuse of office, causing financial loss to the state and breaches of Ghana’s procurement laws.

The petition was then forwarded to the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, to establish a prima facie case based on which impeachment proceedings would commence against the EC chair.

Sources close to the CJ’s office has revealed to 3News that a prima facie case has been established on some of the allegations against Mrs. Osei who has since December 6, 2017 been invited to by the CJ to appear before a Committee for the impeachment hearing.

But ahead of the hearing before the CJ-established Committee, Mrs. Osei on Monday, December 11, 2017 wrote to President Akufo-Addo and the CJ to make available to her, a copy of the petition, which is the basis of the impending proceedings against her.

In her letter to the President, Mrs. Osei suggested the petition, which was presented to the President by legal practitioner Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, was brought to her attention through media reports.

“Respectfully your Excellency, I would appreciate being furnished with a copy of the said petition to enable me obtain the requisite advice I may need on the matter,” she requested in the letter.

In a similar letter to the CJ, she said she has since July 2017 when the petition was filed, not received a copy, noting what she had from the CJ was “a statement of the allegation against me”.

She said she has since August 16, 2017 given a written response to the allegations as was contained in the statement and same submitted to the CJ with the relevant documents.

The EC chair said a letter from the CJ dated August 3, 2017 stated that the President has forwarded the said petition to her (the CJ) to “determine whether or not there is a prima facie case raised by the petition pursuant to Article 146(3)”.

“I have heard no further” from the Chief Justice since August 16, 2017, Mrs. Osei said in her latest letter to the CJ dated December 11.