Why the unholy obsession with Jean Mensa and her deputies by IMANI

The more I think about it, the more I am tempted to believe that IMANI Africa’s Bright Simons and Franklin Cudjoe are obsessed with the Electoral Commission of Ghana, headed by Jean Mensa. The persistency with which these gentlemen publish outright lies or fabrications against the EC leaves me with little doubt that their fixation of Jean Mensa and her Deputies cannot be normal.

Bright Simons, for instance, has repeatedly been churning out figures as costs of Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) and Biometric Voters Registration kits (BVRs). He first quoted $150 million as the amount spent on BVDs and had earlier quoted $300 million. The inconsistencies cannot elude one.

It is instructive to point out that the Electoral Commission has responded to these wild allegations by Bright Simons and his team on several occasions but for some grotesque reasons, they keep on harping on these same lies.

In June 2018, the previous administration of the Commission had budgeted and received approval, to invest US$56 million for the refurbishment of Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) and Biometric Voters Registration Kits (BVRs) a Data Centre and Security enhancements under the voter registration and voter verification projects.

The contract was specifically geared towards the conduct of the 2018 referendum and District Level Elections (DLE). The Voter registration project included the refurbishment of 1,670 BVR kits and the procurement of 1,000 new BVDs, while the Voter Verification Project included the refurbishment of 46,200 BVDs as well as the acquisition of 10,000 new BVDs.

However, the current administration of the Commission made a strategic decision to cancel the contract for the total refurbishment and the procurement of new BVDs, opting for a minimal maintenance arrangement.

In 2020, based on the experience with the equipment in the 2019 DLE, the current Commission applied for and received approval from the PPA to acquire new BVDs, BVRs, a Data Centre and a Data Recovery Centre.

The Electoral Commission has gone ahead to provide the general public with the approved 2018 budget for BVDs and BVRs in comparison to the approved 2020 budget for new BVDs, BVRs, the cost of BVDs and BVRs. This information can be accessed on the website of the Electoral Commission.

While it is of paramount importance for Civil Society Organizations to keep state agencies on their toes and to bring forth issues that have the potential to affect the credibility, integrity, and financial status of these entities, it is also important that same must not be driven by the parochial interests of the individuals who form these CSOs.

Many tend to ask the question: Why does it appear that IMANI Africa’s executives always bay for the blood of Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa and her Deputy Commissioners? The answers are not far-fetched.

IMANI Africa dreamt and expected the Electoral Commission to be given to one of their vice presidents to head when Charlotte Osei left the scene. This was never to be, as the same was given to Jean Mensa and her deputies.

As a form of compensation, these people had hoped that the EC would be giving them contracts to embark on certain activities for them, and since this has been long in coming, the posturing has been to give the EC a bad name so that peace would be a scarce resource for them. It is all about interest, nothing more, nothing less.

P.K. Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.