The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has written to the Council of State to reassess the appointments of Dr. Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani to the board of the Electoral Commission.
On Monday, March 20, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, swore in three new members of the Electoral Commission (EC) governing board. These were Dr. Peter Appiahene, Rev. Akua Ofori Boateng and Salima Ahmed Tijani.
Some sections of the public and civil society organizations such as the Coalition for Democratic Election Observers (CODEO), criticized the appointments and called on the president to annul the appointments based on their affiliation with the ruling NPP.
The NDC in a letter to the Council of State, which was copied to some selected embassies in Ghana, stated that the appointments will further dent the already soiled reputation of the Electoral Commission and must be reconsidered in the interest of the majority of Ghanaians.
“Dr. Peter Appiahene is not only a card-bearing member of the ruling New Patriotic Party but a recognized leading figure within the ranks of the Party. He has been a patron of the tertiary wing of the New Patriotic Party, TESCON, at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani, since 2017. He is a known communicator of the New Patriotic Party in the Bono Region, on both radio and television.
“Prior to his appointment to the Electoral Commission, Dr. Appiahene had played various leading roles for the New Patriotic Party in the Bono Region. Indeed, he touts himself in his political profile and personal credentials as a strong NPP man with a lot of experience in election issues in Ghana.”
NDC
The NDC spoke about Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani on her appointment as well, by proclaiming that its “background search revealed that she has well-known New Patriotic Party leanings. Aside from the fact that Hajia Salima is herself an activist of the ruling New Patriotic Party, she is married to one Sheikh T.B Damba, a former Second National Vice Chairman of the NPP, and Ghana’s immediate-past ambassador to Saudi Arabia, from 2017 to 2021.”
“We are aware that once Dr. Appiahene and Hajia Salima have been sworn in as members of the Commission, the Council of State has become functus officio in the process of their appointments.
“We are nevertheless of the view that against the background of the evidence that we have presented, it is possible for the Council to re-consider its advice to the President, in order to erase any perception that the Council has been complicit in the appointment of these patently partisan individuals to the Electoral Commission and to safeguard the integrity of the Council, as far as its role in the structure of our governance architecture, is concerned.”
NDC
Rev. Deegbe Claims New EC Members Are Politically Tainted
Reverend Fred Deegbe, a member of the Advisory Board of Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), fears the stay in office of two newly appointed board members of the Electoral Commission (EC), will adversely affect the confidence Ghanaians have in the electoral body.
He said the newly appointed board members are politically tainted and are not inclined to serve in the interest of Ghanaians, while on the board.
Dr. Appiahene and Hajia Salima Tijani, who were appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, have been accused of leaning towards the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in contravention of the 1992 Constitution.
Reverend Deegbe, speaking in an interview, indicated that the country will be going on a slippery road, if the two board members of the EC do not resign.
“We do not publicly see any credentials of these appointees; they have been sworn in and people are now finding out who they are. And they found out that these two seem to be tainted politically, very well known in the circles of the NPP. And so, we suggest, as it seems right, an electoral management body must be known and seen as fair to all players. Their stay in office will affect Ghanaians’ confidence in the electoral body.”
Reverend Fred Deegbe
Asked if it has been proven that they are NPP fanatics, Reverend Deegbe said, “Everybody may have sympathy and rightly so because we are all supposed to vote. And if you get to the public and are seen to be speaking for a particular party, and it’s on the internet, everybody who googles will find out about this lecturer, what he has said and what he has done. Hajia Salima’s political inclination is from her husband and those she’s related to, which seems to make a suggestion that she could be politically tainted.”
He questioned if the appointees’ nominations were approved by the Council of State.
“We are saying that these two, if the President took a look again, he may not have appointed them. And we are even wondering whether the requirements of approval and consultation with the Council of State were done. Whether they were said to have been okay, we are afraid that they are going to make things difficult for everybody, if they are politically tainted…We are calling on them to resign.”
Reverend Fred Deegbe
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