‘No amount of history will prove Akufo-Addo right’ – Solomon Owusu

The Director of Communications of the United Party (UP), Solomon Owusu, has criticised former President Nana Akufo-Addo over his administration’s handling of appointments to the Electoral Commission (EC).

He said the former President’s record in office could not be justified by attempts to defend his decisions, particularly his appointment of alleged New Patriotic Party sympathisers to the EC.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s New Day on Wednesday, October 14, amid controversy over the appointment of Emelia Affi Agbenyo as an EC Deputy Chairperson, Mr Owusu the precedence was set by Mr. Akufo-Addo.

“No amount of history will prove former President Akufo-Addo right. No amount. He messed up. He messed this country up,” he said.

Mr Owusu argued that the debate over the latest EC appointments should be considered alongside the controversy surrounding former President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of Dr Peter Appiahene to the commission.

He said he had opposed Dr Appiahene’s appointment because of his alleged links to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), arguing that such appointments could undermine public confidence in the commission’s independence.

Mr Owusu explained that Dr Appiahene’s reported role as a patron of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, as well as his alleged involvement in the NPP’s communications activities, had raised concerns about his political neutrality.

The controversy follows President John Dramani Mahama’s appointment of Ms Agbenyo and Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah as Deputy Chairpersons of the EC on Monday, October 12.

The appointments followed the resignation of Professor Bossman Asare and the retirement of Samuel Tettey.

The NPP has questioned Ms Agbenyo’s suitability for the role, alleging that she was actively involved in the NDC’s political activities and its 2024 election campaign.