The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has requested for a chief Justice report of the report on petition of removal of the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Jean Mensah from office.
In a press statement released on October, 5, 2020 and signed by the Executive Director, Mensah Thompson, the group noted that response to their request from the presidency did not contain the said report which exonerated the EC Chair.
“In a response to ASEPA dated August 18, 2020, admitted that he acted upon our petition which was referred to his outfit in accordance with article 146 and a report delivered to the Presidency on July 15, 2020”.
Meanwhile, the group has called for a comprehensive audit and validation of all figures compiled by the Electoral Commission after the entire Voter Registration Exercise.
“As we are speaking we cannot authenticate the numbers because we have seen people in some corner printing ID cards and the number of people on this voters register does not seem to reflect the entire representation of the people,” its Executive Director Mensah Thompson has stated.
He further pointed out that the numbers published by the electoral commission is bloated, compared to the tally from political parties.
“16.9 million, and now the EC says we have over 17 million people. Where is the gap from?” he questioned.
“This voters’ register is bloated and it must be authenticated. Every person on it must be validated before the 2020 elections”.
Mensah Thompson will not cut the Electoral Commission some slack with just 65 days to election insisting that civil society foresaw and warned the EC of the challenges.
He indicated that ASEPA has compiled a series of voter registration irregularities which it is ready to share with international observers who will be monitoring Ghana’s elections in December.
ASEPA petitions for the removal of EC Chairperson
In June 2020, ASEPA secured a declaration from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) that Mrs. Mensa failed to declare her assets on assumption of office in 2018.
According to the group, it is well aware of the fact that their call came a few months to elections but regardless requested that the process should be carried out promptly in order for the EC chair’s replacement to have ample time to prepare for the December elections.
President Akufo-Addo, however, dismissed the petition by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) to impeach Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Mensa.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo showed that the Chief Justice did not establish any prima facie against the head of the country’s elections management body.
CHRAJ said it found during its investigations that although the EC boss did not declare her assets then, she took remedial steps to do so when it was brought to her attention in the petition to investigate same.
Jean Mensa filed her assets declaration forms with the Auditor-General on February 17, 2020, CHRAJ noted.
The anti-graft body cautioned the EC boss to take note and not repeat same.
In response to this, the Presidency indicated that the EC chair has not committed any criminal offence.
“The Chief Justice did not find any statute that criminalizes the non-declaration of assets within the stipulated time in the Constitution,” read the statement released July 27, 2020”.
The Presidency further communicated its rejection of the petition adding that “In any event, CHRAJ did not make any adverse findings against the Chairperson as the investigation was terminated and the complaint dismissed after the Chairperson declared her assets on 17th February 2020.”
