Martin Amidu, former Special Prosecutor, has stated that Ghanaians who supported President Akufo-Addo in defense of the 1992 Constitution are now facing the consequences of his alleged long-term election interference strategy.
He accused the President of undermining the Constitution by positioning Dr. Bawumia as his successor, abusing executive power, and appointing loyalists to key institutions.
Amidu criticized civil society organizations (CSOs) for ignoring early warnings of these unconstitutional actions.
He pointed to recent reports of CSOs demanding assurances against internet shutdowns and the EC restricting media access to collation centers as signs of efforts to influence the 2024 elections in favor of Akufo-Addo’s chosen successor.
“CSOs and the media are now beginning to cry wolf, wolf, wolf, to alert the electorate about the steps public institutions I had written about are taking which have the tendency to affect the freeness, fairness, and transparency of the 2024 elections during this election season.
“I had warned about the intended use of the Electoral Commission (EC) as part of Nana Addo’s long electoral game in one of my articles on 15 April 2023 headlined: ‘Appointment of three new Electoral Commission members – We emboldened Nana Akufo-Addo to disregard the Constitution’. The electorate and civil society should go back down memory lane, and they will remember [what] I stated in the above [article]”
Martin Amidu
Amidu stated that he had consistently exposed President Akufo-Addo’s plan, formed after his 2008 election loss, to undermine free and fair elections under the 1992 Constitution.
He claimed that the events leading to the December 7, 2024 elections have confirmed these warnings.
Amidu alleged that the EC, crucial for fair elections, was packed with Akufo-Addo’s appointees without stakeholder consultation, relying only on a compliant Council of State.
While not constitutionally required, he argued that consultation would have ensured impartiality, especially after the previous EC was removed for constitutional violations.
He concluded that Akufo-Addo, once seen as a defender of democracy, has undermined Ghana’s democratic principles and the right to free and fair elections.
Amidu Calls for Defending 2024 Elections Integrity
Furthermore, Martin Amidu stated that the Center for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), which supported the 2018 appointment of key EC members, is now urging the EC to resolve longstanding electoral issues to safeguard credibility ahead of the 2024 elections.
Moreover, he noted that CDD-Ghana’s Executive Director remains linked to President Akufo-Addo through the Law Reform Commission, raising concerns of a conflict of interest.
Amidu also suggested that the EC’s role in disenfranchising SALL residents may have prompted Franklin Cudjoe’s criticism of the President and the EC’s management of the 2024 electoral process.
“The 1992 Constitution has been resilient for the past thirty years and I am optimistic that citizens’ actions will defend it again, against any infidelity to the Constitution that will affect a free, fair, and transparent election at the 2024 elections. May the will of the people always prevail at elections under the 1992 Constitution!
“Let all patriotic Ghanaians and believers in democracy the world over defend the integrity of the 2024 elections against abuse of power by public institutions under the influence of President Akufo-Addo by fighting, fighting, and fighting for the accreditation of all registered CSOs and the local media in Ghana ready and willing to observe these elections”.
Martin Amidu
Amidu further emphasized that more local CSO election observers and unrestricted media access to collation centers are essential to safeguard against election rigging.
He warned that foreign observers, driven by national interests and geopolitics, may not prioritize Ghana’s constitutional integrity.
Amidu questioned how many local and foreign observers the EC has rejected since 1992 to justify excluding targeted CSOs and media.
He urged Ghanaians to demand genuinely free, fair, and transparent 2024 elections, free from geopolitical manipulation and the influence cultivated during Akufo-Addo’s administration.
The intense polarization under the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, Amidu argued, makes the credibility of the December 7 elections and the impartiality of the overseeing institutions crucial for the future stability of the 1992 Constitution. “The time to defend the 1992 Constitution against election interference is NOW!”
