Partisan EC appointments could set dangerous precedent — NPP's Kamaldeen

A member of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Communications Team, Kamaldeen Abdulai, has warned that politically influenced appointments to the Electoral Commission (EC) could trigger a cycle of partisan replacements whenever a new government assumes office.

He argued that appointing individuals perceived to have political affiliations to the Commission risks undermining its independence and could encourage successive governments to replace officials associated with their political opponents.

Speaking on Channel One TV's The Big Issue on Saturday, October 17, Mr Abdulai said Ghana must avoid a situation where changes in government lead to efforts to remove officials perceived to be aligned with the previous administration.

“In any case we come to power we can also say that, we would also have to come up with ways and means to get the elements of NDC out and also put NPP there and that is not the way to go,” he said, describing such a development as a danger to the country's electoral system.

His comments follow President John Dramani Mahama's swearing-in of Emelia Affi Agbenyo and Dr Joseph Kweku Asamoah as Deputy Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission on October 12.

The appointments have generated debate over the political neutrality of the Commission, particularly concerning questions raised by critics about Mrs Agbenyo's alleged affiliation with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The NPP communicator also referred to the controversy surrounding former Deputy EC Chairperson Dr Bossman Asare, who resigned from the Commission effective July 31, 2026, to return to academia at the University of Ghana.

Mr Abdulai suggested that developments behind the scenes might have contributed to Dr Asare's decision to leave office, although he did not provide evidence to substantiate that claim during the discussion.

Meanwhile, President Mahama, at the swearing-in ceremony, urged the new deputy chairpersons to discharge their duties without favouring any political party, candidate or government. He stressed that the Commission must protect the right of Ghanaians to choose their leaders freely.

-citinewsroom