Africa-Press – Ghana. The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Mr. Kwame Baffoe Abronye has played down grapevine source of allegations of partisanship of young Assistant Professor and currently the Head of Department of Science and Informatics at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani Dr Peter Appiahene, who has just been sworn-in as a member of the Electoral Commission.
Chairman Kwame Baffoe Abronye in a statement noted that there is nothing wrong with the appointment of Dr Peter Appiahene, who is an Assistant Professor with over 10 years working experience in the Computer Science Industry and Academic Institutions both locally in Ghana and international to the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana adding that the President of Ghana has appointment power under the Constitution to do so.
Chairman Kwame Baffoe Abronye said the mode of appointment of the Commission members is specified in Article 43 of the 1992 Constitution and Act 451.
Stating the qualification and appointment of members of the Commission, he noted that a person is not qualified to be appointed as a member of the Commission unless he is qualified to be elected as a Member of Parliament.
Chairman Abronye continued that Article 70 (2) says the President acting on the advice of the Council of State appoints the Chairman, Deputy Chairmen, and other members of the Commission.
However, the opposition NDC has claimed the new additions to the Commission, especially Dr Peter Appiahene is a member of the NPP and also question his credibility to the new post.
Former National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and current Buem MP, Kofi Adams, accused President Akufo-Addo of appointing known members of the NPP to the Electoral Commission.
Dr Peter Appiahene, Salima Ahmed Tijani, and Rev Akua Ofori Boateng were recently sworn in as new members of the commission.
Pictures of Dr Peter Appiahene allegedly as a patron of the NPP’s tertiary institutions wing, TESCON, at the University of Energy and Natural Resources have gone viral.
Kofi Adams warned that President Akufo-Addo’s appointments could undermine the credibility of the EC and called on civil society and well-meaning Ghanaians to rise against such appointments.
According to him, their partisan association should bar them from occupying sensitive positions even though they may have the required qualifications.
Three new members were appointed to the Electoral Commission of Ghana to replace retired commissioners were recently sworn into office by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
They are Salima Ahmed Tijani, Dr Peter Appiahene and Rev Akua Ofori Boateng.
They replace Mrs. Hajia Sa-Adatu Maida, Mr Ebenezer Aggrey-Fynn and Mrs. Rebecca Kabukie Adjalo who have all retired.
Their appointment is in line with Article 43 (1 and 2) of the 1992 constitution which states that, “there shall be an Electoral Commission which shall consist of a Chairman, two Deputy Chairmen, and four other members.
The members of the Commission shall be appointed by President under article 70 of this Constitution.
The EC is currently chaired by Mrs. Jean Mensa, with Dr. Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey serving as her Deputies responsible for Corporate Affairs and Operations respectively.
President Akufo-Addo, on the other hand, expressed his confidence in the three newly sworn-in EC members and asked the EC not to be deterred by criticisms against it.
He urged the electoral management body to focus on the expectations of Ghanaians and work to ensure that the will of the Ghanaian people is upheld.
Chairman Kwame Baffoe Abronye reminded Ghanaians that unlike President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NDC government appointed Hajia Sa-Adatu Maida, (Just Retired) a daughter of a former NDC Northern Regional Chairman to serve as a commission member of the Electoral Commission, however, the NDC at the time, did not see anything wrong with such an appointment and are now making a mountain out of a molehill.
According to Chairman Abronye, when NPP came to power nobody touched or talked about Hajia Sa-Adatu Maida appointment, she was allowed to perform her functions as commissioner till her retirement.
Meanwhile Sunyani Based Private Radio station Space FM, has denied knowledge of the viral fliers that has it logo on it with the caption “WHO IS NEXT BONO MINISTER”. Adding that the flier that is purporting to come from the Sunyani based Space FM may have been created by anybody else to fly the story but not the station.
Source close to Space News room indicates that they did not produce the flier nor did they commission any person or persons to produce the flier.
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