The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has today, June 28 relieved Madam Charlotte Osei of her duties as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, together with her two deputies for ”misbehaviour and incompetence”.
This dismissal was after a committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three persons by Ghanaian citizens, recommended their removal from office.
The basis for the Committee recommending removal was stated as misbehavior and incompetence, pursuant to Article 146 (1) of the Constitution.
In an officially released statement, the Minister for Information said the President had directed the three persons to hand over their respective schedules to the Director of Human Resources at the Commission while thanking them for their service to the country.
The sack comes on the eve of Mrs. Charlotte Osei’s third year in office. Her 2 deputies also relieved of their duties with immediate effect are Mr. Amadu Sulley and Ms. Georgina Opoku Amankwah.
Background
The EC Chairperson, Mrs. Charlotte Osei and her two Deputies, Amadu Sulley (in charge of Operations) and Georgina Amankwa (Corporate Services) met with the Chief Justice over a petition filed against EC back in December 2017.
Then came several allegations of the funneling of GHc3.9 million to partition an office, receiving a Toyota Land Cruiser from then Mahama government and the use of about $14 million when the Public Procurement Authority had authorized her to use only $7.5 million.
Some staff of the EC petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo in July 2017, to remove Mrs. Osei from office over allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement as well as abuse of office.
Other allegations leveled against her involved the unilateral awarding of contracts by Mrs. Charlotte Osei in the run-up to the 2016 general election.
Mrs. Osei in a desperate attempt to redeem her image also responded by making allegations of corruption against her deputies, Mr. Amadu Sulley and Ms. Georgina Opoku Amankwah.
One individual by name Douglas Seidu, also petitioned the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in August 2017 to dismiss the EC Chair, citing “financial misconduct, incompetence, conflict of interest and breaches of the public procurement processes.”
The President took account of these serious allegations leveled against the EC Chair and her deputies and forwarded the petitions to the Chief Justice to look into the matter.
A five-member committee was subsequently set up by the Chief Justice to investigate the alleged corruption.
And that has led to the breaking news today that Mrs. Charlotte Osei and her deputies have been sacked.
