I appointed Charlotte Osei as EC chair but I still lost the elections – Mahama

Former President, John Mahama with Charlotte Osei

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Former president and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has stated that although he appointed the former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, to oversee elections, he still experienced electoral defeat, kasapafmonline.com reports.

The report said that Mahama made this statement while delivering a public lecture at the Christian Service University in Kumasi, which was part of the university's 50th-anniversary celebrations.

He called on stakeholders in the country, including the Electoral Commission, to ensure that elections are conducted freely and fairly.

According to Mahama, for elections to be truly free and fair, it's important to have someone who is not biased to oversee them.

This person, he added, must be honest, open, and treat all political parties the same way.

“Charlotte Osei was appointed by me as the electoral commissioner, yet the elections that she supervised, I lost. This points to the need for fairness and non-partisanship. Up till today, the NPP describes the election as the best and fairest election that has ever been held.”

“Dr. Afari Gyan was the electoral commissioner with several deputies, and he conducted several elections. Up till today, Dr. Afari Gyan is respected as one of the best electoral commissioners in the whole of Africa,” he said.

The former president is also quoted as saying that his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), does not trust the current Electoral Commission, led by Jean Mensa.

As a result, they intend to enter the 2024 elections with their own "referee."

He added that the NDC will overcome the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that the Electoral Commission will not be able to alter the results that are compiled after the general elections.

He said “We are just asking them to conduct a free and fair election for the country and let the will of Ghanaians prevail. That’s all we are looking for. But as Azumah Nelson said, this time we are going into the elections with our own referee. We will knock down the NPP to the level that the Electoral Commission can never overturn the results for the NPP,” kasapafmonline.com quotes Mahama to have said.