Collaborate With Stakeholders For Credible Elections —Dr Apaak To EC Boss
Dr Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament for Builsa South has urged Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa to collaborate with stakeholders and desist from comments that would give room for people to raise doubt about her competency to conduct free and fair elections in 2020.
According to the MP, the recent public utterances on issues raised by political parties on the limited voter registration are genuine and is proper that Jean Mensa sit down and reflect on her own previous comments on the EC work with stakeholders.
Dr Apaak raised the concerns in a statement making rounds on social media cited by ModernGhana.
In a post reminding the EC Boss of her past comments, the Builsa South lawmaker quoted Jean Mensa which he believed felt contrary to her current posture.
Prior to the 2016 elections, Jean Mensa as then Executive Director of IEA is quoted saying, “While the independence of the EC should be protected and respected, the EC should also be accountable to the will of Ghanaians and should take all steps to ensure the conduct of free, fair, peaceful and transparent elections.”
"The EC should collaborate with all stakeholders in fully resolving the impasse and challenges with the voters register as well as ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections." Jean Mensa, then Executive Director, IEA Official Statement dated 27th April, 2016.
This, the former Presidential Staffer counselled the EC Boss to be sober in her works as the issues raised today are not different from those she expressed three years ago.
Dr Apaak further urges Jean Mensa to conduct herself in the current position as credible EC Chairperson without any traces of political interest.
" May I also add that the EC, now headed by Jean Mensah, should desist from acts and pronouncements that give the impression or suggest it is accountable to some Ghanaians or a partisan chieftain."
He said all stakeholders of the country democratic process are important and needed to help resolve all forms of electoral related challenges.
"All stakeholders must be respected and collaborated with fully. The EC, headed by Jean Mensah, must avoid a posture that gives the impression that it favours some stakeholders and dislikes," Dr Apaak stated.
He added that it was also his view that just as the previous calls, the EC should take steps to resolve the current impasse and challenges with the limited voters register as well as ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections in 2020.
The EC Chairperson and the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, have had arguments and accessing each other over electoral issues.
Many political analysts have advised that the current impasse between the NDC and EC is not healthy for the country going into 2020 general elections.