Choosing EC Chairman

The integrity of the chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) is an attribute which cannot be compromised. For a country which went through a scathing eight-month election petition hearing at the level of the Supreme Court, the choice of a replacement for the outgoing chairman should be bereft of avoidable blunders.

The many calls to the president to adopt better options in making such a choice is informed by the expectations of Ghanaians and their inordinate fear of the consequences of picking a personality tainted with crude partisanship.

The outgoing Electoral Commission Chairman, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, crowned his extended tenure with a controversial presidential election which blemishes attracted the attention of both international and local observers.

Perhaps the shortcomings which dogged the EC in the last polls accounted for the better performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria under the direction of Prof Attahiru Jega.

Although the chairman of the EC is supported by other commissioners in the running of the electoral body, his integrity is what determines the credibility of the Commission and the outcome of the polls it runs.

The last elections and the petition hearing it spawned brought to the fore all the shortcomings of the man many thought over the years of being on top of the game. He was not.

It would be foolhardy to be reckless about the choice of a successor to the EC chairman. No Ghanaian should sit on the fence as the appointment of an EC chairman hangs around the neck of the country. It is a time bomb requiring proper disposal.

The importance of the involvement of stakeholders in this choice cannot be overemphasised. Indeed, we overlook and treat it to suit our parochial interests at the peril of the nation.

Let us cast our minds to the 2008 election and later the 2012 one. The country was at the precipice; but for providence, we would have been writing a different story about the nation today.

We are aware of the prerogative of the president in making such choices, but in doing so the framers of the Constitution and the rest of Ghanaians demand that he is guided by the long term interest of the nation and not a political party's.

The consultation with the Council of State as enshrined in the Constitution would not bring down our adrenalin level because the president is not bound to take their counsel. Besides, he had a hand in the engagement of most of them directly or indirectly.

There has never been an instance when the Council of State has stopped a president from making an unwholesome appointment or taking a decision. In almost all cases, they would acquiesce with the president's inclinations. So why would we be convinced that such a Council can contribute towards a decent choice?

We have already witnessed a subtle throwing of some names through a government preferred medium. It is a ruse intended to prepare the minds of Ghanaians about the president's direction.

Unfortunately, none of the names can pass the tough integrity test demanded of the chairmanship of the EC.