Balancing the scale will dilute extreme partisanship – Hamza on new Deputy EC Chairperson 

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hamza Suhuyini, has defended the appointment of Emelia Affi Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), describing it as a step towards addressing perceived partisan imbalance in Ghana’s institutions.

His comments come amid criticism from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), which has alleged that Miss Agbenyo is an NDC member who played a key role in the party’s 2024 election campaign.

The NDC has, however, argued that the previous NPP administration also appointed a known sympathiser Dr. Peter Appiahene, to the Electoral Commission.

In a social media post on Tuesday, October 13, Mr Suhuyini said balancing partisan interests was necessary to address what he described as the extreme partisanship that characterised state institutions during the eight years of NPP rule.

“Balancing the partisan scale is an important way of diluting the extreme partisanship that engulfed our institutions in the last 8 years of NPP rule,” he wrote.

He argued that electoral commissioners did not determine election outcomes on their own, but public perceptions of bias within the Commission could undermine confidence in the results.

“History teaches us that electoral commissioners don’t win elections, but perceptions of a tilted commission can compromise integrity of outcomes,” he added.

Mr Suhuyini praised President John Dramani Mahama for the appointment, describing it as a progressive step towards resetting the country.

He also argued that partisan balance could help encourage compromise and strengthen the pursuit of neutrality in an institution responsible for managing the country’s elections.