Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (CARE Ghana), a non-profit and non-partisan civil society organization has expressed deep concerns over an alleged secret recruitment exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, involving the controversial appointment of one Stephen Forson as a consultant to train the Commission’s IT staff for the upcoming 2024 general elections.
David Kumi Addo, the Executive Director of CARE Ghana, in a statement, particularly condemned the Electoral Commission’s recruitment of IT support staff through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).
“Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana’s (“CARE” GHANA’s) attention has been drawn to the Electoral Commission’s secret recruitment of IT support staff through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA). These recruits are set to be trained by Stephen Forson, a consultant known for his involvement in manipulating electronic voting systems.
“The covert recruitment of IT support staff through YEA, an agency previously manipulated by Stephen Forson who was later appointed by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its deputy IT director in 2022, raises serious doubts about the fairness of the selection process”.
David Kumi Addo, Executive Director CARE GHANA
The move by the Electoral Commission of Ghana according to CARE Ghana, threatens the fairness, transparency, and impartiality of the upcoming general elections.
Highlighting the group’s discontentment against the Electoral Commission’s appointment of Mr Forson, Mr Kumi Addo strongly posited that Mr Forson’s involvement in manipulating electronic systems is well-documented and troubling.
He alleged that Mr Forson is implicated in the manipulation of the Youth Employment Agency payroll to include ghost names, thus defrauding public funds.
Again, the Executive Director for Care Ghana accused Mr Forson of allegedly tampering with the electronic voting system during the 2015 University of Ghana Student Representative Council (SRC) elections casting significant doubt on his capability to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.
Integrity at Stake
Furthermore, Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana underscored the critical importance of integrity in Ghana’s electoral process, adding that the appointment of an individual with such a questionable background to train IT personnel directly contradicts the principles of impartiality.
The statement also emphasized that the foundation of Ghana’s democracy rests on the conduct of free and fair elections, and any actions that cast doubt on the integrity of such process threaten to erode public confidence in the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
In light of the above revelations, the Executive Director of CARE Ghana called for the immediate termination of Mr Stephen Forson’s appointment.
He also urged the Electoral Commission of Ghana to halt its alleged secret recruitment exercise and called for an independent and thorough audit of the Electoral Commission’s electronic systems.
In addition, CARE Ghana admonished the Electoral Commission of Ghana to publish or disclose all details regarding the recruitment and training of its IT support staff.
This included the selection criteria and the “recruits’ specific roles and responsibilities”, emphasizing that Ghana’s democracy depends on the integrity and trustworthiness of its electoral processes.
The Executive Director of CARE Ghana concluded his statment by urging the Electoral Commission of Ghana to take immediate and decisive action to restore public confidence and ensure that the 2024 elections are conducted with the highest standards of fairness, transparency, and impartiality.
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