Political analyst Professor Jonathan Asante Otchere has called for reforms to Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) appointment process, warning that concerns over the political background of electoral officials could undermine public confidence in the Commission’s independence.
He argued that the controversy surrounding the appointment of Emelia Affi Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of the EC could have been avoided if the Council of State had adequately advised President John Dramani Mahama before the appointment was finalised.
Prof. Asante Otchere said the selection of officials for the electoral management body should be handled with greater sensitivity to public perceptions of political neutrality, given the Commission’s critical role in overseeing elections.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, October 17, he said the Council of State had a responsibility to provide the President with relevant information that could help him make informed decisions on appointments.
“The Council of State has disappointed the President. You see, sometimes it is not always the case that, of course, in this particular appointment, they have disappointed him because they should probably have informed him of the person’s background,” he said.
His comments follow public concerns about Mrs Agbenyo’s alleged affiliation with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) after she was sworn in alongside Dr Joseph Kweku Asamoah as a Deputy Chairperson of the EC on October 12.
Although the appointments have triggered debate over political neutrality, Prof. Asante Otchere maintained that the President could have avoided the controversy by considering other candidates whose publicly known political associations were less likely to raise questions about their impartiality.
He said the appointment had created unnecessary political pressure for the President and his administration, arguing that a more careful assessment of potential candidates could have prevented the backlash.
“I have said that this is a needless pressure that the President has brought onto himself,” he said.
Prof. Asante Otchere also questioned the justification that the appointment was intended to balance political interests, suggesting that such considerations could complicate public perceptions of the EC’s independence.
He stressed that appointments to the Commission should be guided by the need to protect its credibility rather than generate political controversy.
The analyst consequently advocated a review of the mechanisms used to appoint EC officials, proposing that Ghana explore alternative arrangements that could strengthen confidence in the electoral body’s impartiality.
He said the credibility of the EC depended not only on the conduct of elections but also on whether the public perceived its leadership as independent of partisan political interests.
The debate over Mrs Agbenyo’s appointment has renewed attention on the process for selecting senior EC officials and the safeguards needed to ensure that the institution retains public trust as Ghana’s constitutional body responsible for managing elections.
