Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM GH) has described Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, (EC), Mrs Jean Mensah and her Deputy Mr. Bossman Assare as potential threat to Ghana’s democracy.
A statement signed by the Executive Secretary of ADAM-GH, Mr. Azubila stated that, the EC Chairperson and her deputy have vindicated Ghanaians over their neutrality, especially when they were appointed under strange circumstances after the dismissal of Charlotte Osei.
According to the group, the autocratic, intolerance and open bias attitude of these two leaders of the commission since their assumption of office are clear indication that Ghana is not safe, especially when they are the referees for the December 2020 crucial elections.
”It is an open fact that, Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare are allowing themselves to be manipulated by the party in government by interfering and directing activities and processes in the commission which is a big threat to the future of this great country of ours and indeed it’s a national concern” they noted.
The statement warned that, the future of Ghana is more important to the youth and the EC officials should therefore try as much as possible not to throw the country into chaos in their regime as electoral commissioner and deputy.
Below is their full statement
Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM GH) has described the Electoral Commissioner Madam Jeane Mensah and her Deputy Mr. Bossman Asare as potential threat to Ghana’s future.
According to the group, Ghanaians confidence in Madam Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare for whether they can be neutral as the country’s electoral commissioner and deputy due to serious doubt of how some faceless petitioners characterized by political manipulations towards the removal of Madam Charlotte Osei the former electoral commissioner before their appointment.
The executive secretary of ADAM-GH Mr. Azubila stated that, Ghanaians uncertainty about the neutrality of the EC leaders however, has been vindicated by Madam Jean Mensah and Mr. Bossman Asare’s actions few months in their assumption of office.
The group added that, the autocratic, intolerance and open bias attitude of these two leaders of the commission since their assumption of office are clear indication that this country is not save under the leadership of Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare as referees to the December 2020 crucial elections.
”It is an open fact that, Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare are allowing themselves to be manipulated by the party in government by interfering and directing activities and processes in the commission which is a big threat to the future of this great country of ours and indeed it’s a national concern” they noted.
ADAM-GH said the group has been quiet on the happenings in the electoral commission since the removal of Madam Charlotte Osei on frivolous allegations and the appointment of Jean Madam Mensah and Bossman Asare because, the group don’t move by public perceptions that, Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare were brought in to execute political bidden for the ruling party.
This, the Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM-GH) has taken notice and monitored the actions of the EC boss Madam Jean Mensah and her deputy Mr Bossman Asare since the time they took over office, has exhibited lack of professionalism and openly executing political bidden as perceived by the general public for the ruling government, which to ADAM-GH, it is very serious potential chaos so far as the peace of this country is concern.
Mr. Azubila revealed that it will not hesitate to send a strong signal to Madam Jean Mensah and Bossman Asare that, the future of this great country Ghana is more important to the youth of this nation including their own children and families who are also Ghanaians than any political party NDC or NPP therefore, they should try as much as possible not to throw this country into chaos in their regime as electoral commissioner and deputy.
The executive secretary of ADAM-GH Mr. Azubila outlined facts findings that according to the group has vindicated Ghanaians doubt about the neutrality of Jeane Mansah and Bossman.
*FACTS FINDING*
1. Ghanaians doubt about Jean Mensah got deepened when she called her first key stakeholders meeting, which is “inter party advisory committee IPAC” where invitation was sent to all political parties excluding the main opposition political party NDC which was later delivered to the party less than an hour to the commencement of the meeting. The NDC which is the biggest opposition party was excluded regarding decisions taken at that meeting which serve as a binding document to all political parties. Though the EC later apologies but it was bad example especial the first stakeholder meeting and the biggest opposition party did not make an input in the decision taken.
2. What broke the camel back was when the electoral commissioner Jean Mensah was seen happily dancing and partying in a political gathering of female appointees of the ruling party NPP, forgotten about the core mandate imposed on her as the country electoral commissioner who supposed to exhibit neutrality in her dealings.
3. In Jean Mensah second IPAC meeting, she was heard loud attacking the General Secretary of the biggest opposition party NDC Mr. Aiedu Nketia for smiling at the meeting when she Jean Mensah was talking. The group described this action of Jean Mensah as extraneous because it raised a lot of questions whether or not Madam Jean Mensah can overcome her bitter emotions against the biggest opposition party.
4. Madam Jean Mensah called press conference on 27th March 2019 and and as usual autocratically told Ghanaians through the media that, the commission will be embarking on the compilation of new voters register ahead of 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections. She openly deceived Ghanaians that the decision of compiling the new voters register was taken in the inter party advisory committee IPAC meeting meanwhile, ADAM GH checks reveals that, the issue of the compilation of new voters register was not even discussed neither was it part of the agenda of the said IPAC meeting. After the EC was exposed by the political parties, the deputy commissioner Mr. Bosman Asare came out and said they in the EC does not need the opinions of it key stakeholders in their course of work.
5. The deputy commissioner Mr. Bosman Asare representing his boss Madam Jean Mensah and openly insulted the biggest opposition party calling it names and said the biggest opposition party “NDC is a big threat to Ghana’s democracy”.
ADAM GH according to the statement, has monitored all these actions of the electoral commission to be unacceptable as leaders of a body that supposed to be neutral and referee in the country’s elections, unfortunately showing open hatred and bias against the biggest political party.
6. Ghana parliament approved for the commission to conduct limited registration exercise in six thousand (6000) electoral areas of Ghana, the commissioner Madam Jean Mensah restricted the process and opened only 216 district offices of the commission which disenfranchised many Ghanaians from registering despite the public outcry and pleadings from Ghanaians requesting the commissioner to extend the registration to all electoral areas of the country.
*ANCHORING DEMOCRACY ADVOCACY MOVEMENT GHANA ADAM-GH HAS EXPOSED THE EC.*
The executive secretary of the Mr. Azubila said, the reasons given by the commission that, the country current biometric register is bloated and lacks credibility is untrue and does not have any merit. He said the current register was used to conduct the creation of six (6) new Regions through referendum in 2018, Madam Jean Mensah came out with a report stating that the exercise was credible and successful regardless EC officials who were seen on videos thumb printing ballot papers themselves.
The same register was used in the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election where Madam Jean Mensah came out with a report that, the election was credible and successful regardless the national security attacks on members of the opposition party which led to the withdrawal of the opposition party NDC from the election.
Madam Jean Mensah spent huge sums of money updating the current biometric register through it limited registration and removal of ghost names recently prior to the district level elections. The commission used this same register to conduct the district level elections across the country and gave report that the elections was credible and successful.
*REVEALATIONS*
ADAM GH checks reveals that, the biometric devices used in the recent district level elections has no problem and were functioning properly except areas where theere were humam errors.
According to ADAM-GH, total number of votes cast across the country was five million, four hundred and thirty one thousand, nine hundred and two (5,431,902). Out of this number of voters, those who went through the biometric verification successfully were five million, three hundred and ninety seven thousand and fifty nine (5,397,059) representing (99.4%) this is very successful by all standard.
The number of those who were verified manually due to human errors and other factors were thirty four thousand, eight hundred and forty three (34, 843) representing (0.6%) . Ladies and gentlemen, what is the import of changing this very successful biometric voters register which gave results of 99.4% weeks ago?
RECOMMENDATION.
What ADAM-GH is telling the electoral commission is that, there is no new system in the world that can give you 100% delivery once it is being operated by human and therefore there is no way the new voters register or new system can come and give us over 99.4% delivery so there is no need for new biometric register now.
ADAM GH would therefore, suggest that, if it is about the obsolete kits of the biometric verification devices, the commission can procure new kits to replace the old one acquired in 2011 without necessarily changing the current credible biometric register.
