Political scientist Dr John Osae-Kwapong has urged Ghanaians to judge Emelia Afi Agbenyo by her conduct at the Electoral Commission (EC) now that she holds office as a Deputy Chairperson.
Dr Osae-Kwapong, a CDD-Ghana Fellow and Director of the Democracy Project, spoke to The Vaultz News in an exclusive interview after President John Dramani Mahama swore in her and Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah in on Monday, October 12, 2026.
He acknowledged the unease over a known NDC sympathiser joining an independent body, then offered the test former President Nana Akufo-Addo set in 2023 for EC appointees. The test asks whether a nominee can serve with integrity, fairness, professionalism and independence of mind, whatever their party leanings.
“Now that she’s already been appointed and has been sworn in, then I think our task now is to stay vigilant and make sure that she reflects these key principles that the former president said.”
Dr John Osae-Kwapong, Political Scientist, CDD-Ghana Fellow, and Director of the Democracy Project
President Mahama swore in Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah and Ms Agbenyo as Deputy Chairpersons of the EC. They fill vacancies left by the resignation of Dr Bossman Eric Asare and the retirement of Samuel Tettey.
At the ceremony, the President charged the new deputies to act fairly and impartially, and he insisted that neither his government nor the National Democratic Congress (NDC) should receive preferential treatment.
Ms Agbenyo’s appointment has drawn objections since. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) questions whether she can command public confidence in the EC’s neutrality.
Its Director of Communications, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, cites Facebook posts and messages attributed to her that he argues show open endorsement of the NDC during the 2024 campaign, and he points to alleged earlier political and campaign roles.
Minister for Government Communications has acknowledged her leaning toward the NDC while saying she does not carry a party card.
Why Osae-Kwapong Turned to Akufo-Addo
Dr Osae-Kwapong called the former President’s 2023 remarks on EC appointments instructive.
In his telling, former President Akufo-Addo gave guidance on how to assess the people sent to the commission, and that guidance asks whether a person can serve “with integrity,” “with fairness,” as a professional and “having an independent mind,” even where party affiliation raises concerns.
He applied the test to Ms Agbenyo directly, stating that it fits her case “even as her known association and affiliation with the NDC has given us some concerns.” Dr Osae-Kwapong did not wave the criticism away.
“I do acknowledge the discomfort and the worry that Ghanaians have expressed, that some in the opposition have expressed, some in civil society have expressed about an openly partisan person being sent to an independent institution like the Electoral Commission.”
Dr John Osae-Kwapong, Political Scientist, CDD-Ghana Fellow, and Director of the Democracy Project
He nonetheless treated the appointment as settled. Because she has taken the oath, he reasoned, the useful question has moved from whether she should have been named to how she performs. His answer to the interviewer’s question about personal political expression, party membership and independent public duty came down to behaviour in office.
Vigilance as the Public’s Task
Dr Osae-Kwapong told the public to track her record in three places: her actions and inactions, her dealings with political parties, and her dealings with the public. He listed the questions to ask. “Is she demonstrating integrity? Is she demonstrating fairness? Is she demonstrating independence of mind and judgment?”
Citizens should keep weighing her conduct through that lens for the length of her tenure, he argued. That turns the debate into a running audit rather than a single verdict at the point of appointment.
NDC Defends Its Pick
The governing party has defended the appointment. Rashid Tanko, the NDC’s Deputy Director of IT and Elections, maintains that the new deputies are competent and qualified.
The party has also pointed to appointments under Akufo-Addo, namely Dr Bossman Asare and Dr Peter Appiahene, whose alleged NPP links raised concerns among NDC figures at the time. That comparison has revived the question of whether successive governments apply consistent standards when they fill independent electoral bodies.
The Vaultz News has followed the appointments from the start. It reported on the swearing-in, on a new deputy chair’s pledge of national interest and electoral reform, and on a defence of the appointment as constitutionally appropriate. Ms Agbenyo’s performance over her term will now decide whether the criticism fades or grows.
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