President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has clarified that the removal of Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei and two deputy commissioners, is not an action borne out of malice or hatred.
The President indicated that he had no option than to abide by the recommendations of the committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate the allegations brought against the three.
“…In the last six months, the committee has been investigating allegations of corruption against Charlotte Osei and her deputies. The committee completed its findings last week and concluded that Charlotte Osei and her two deputies erred. Based on Article 146 (9), the Committee recommended that Charlotte Osei and her deputies should be removed from office…I could not oppose the Committee’s recommendation because I have no such powers…The law requires that I obey the recommendation by the Committee, and that necessitated the dismissal of Charlotte Osei and her deputies… This is our constitution…”
“…We all need to understand that Charlotte Osei and her deputies were not dismissed out of hatred or malice. Those who brought the petition were employees of the Electoral Commission, so I plead with Ghanaians to work together to find persons who will be transparent to work as electoral commissioners,” the President said.
President Akufo-Addo on Thursday night announced in a statement that he had removed the Electoral Commission chairperson, Charlotte Osei and her two deputies following receipt of the report of a committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought by some Ghanaian citizens..
The provisions of Article 146 (9) of the Constitution require the President to act in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee, but some members of the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have accused the government of masterminding the removal due to the NPP’s public criticism and opposition to the appointment of Charlotte Osei.
Charlotte Osei breached procurement laws
The Committee concluded that Charlotte Osei blatantly breached procurement laws in the award of several contracts in her three-year period at the helm of affairs, prior to the 2016 elections.
Excerpts of the report said the committee investigated six separate allegations of various procurement breaches, for which a prima facie case was established against Madam Charlotte Osei.
The two deputy commissioners were also accused of procurement breaches and financial malfeasance.
