Charlotte Osei not on top of EC’s affairs – Ofori Owusu

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) Director of Operations, Nana Ofori Owusu, does not think Charlotte Osei has a handle on her job as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).

For one, Mr. Ofori Owusu said the fact Mrs. Osei only got hold of information pertaining to money accrued and expended during the 2016 election process when she was summoned to Parliament on the matter, did not speak well of her.

“So you are telling me that as a Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, you do not know your balances? You do not know income and outflow? You do not know your expenditure? You do not know your balance book? You do not know you balance book? You do not know who is doing what?

He insisted on The Big Issue that “when you are a CEO, an MD or a leader, you must be on top of your issues constantly.”

Mr. Ofori Owusu also intimated that Mrs. Osei was ultimately responsible for the recent fracas between commissioners of the EC, that has seen allegations of financial malfeasance, because “the buck stops with you [Charlotte Osei]. All that is good is you. All that is bad is you.”

“At the end of the day, you must take full responsibility. If it is not good, you cannot go saying it was my Finance Director who did this – no.”

After aggrieved employees of the EC petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo to dismiss Mrs. Osei as the EC Chairperson, following the loss of some  GHc480, 000 from the EC's Endowment Fund , prompting Mrs. Osei to ask the Commission's Deputy Chairperson in-charge of Finance and Administration, Georgina Opoku Amankwah and the Finance Director, Dr. Joseph Kweku Asamoah, to proceed on leave.

This sparked accusations between the commissioners of the EC, including a claim the Deputy Commissioner in-charge of Operations at the EC, Amadu Sulley bagged some GHc 6 million from political parties without informing the Commission's Finance Department.

EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei (L), EC deputy Chairperson in charge of Corporate Services, Georgina Opoku Amankwah (R)

‘We should find new managers for the EC’

But in Mr. Ofori Owusu’s view, her responses during the tensions within the EC paint a picture of someone without control.

“You come out to say that you are not in charge. That is what she has come to tell the whole of Ghana. Charlotte Osei has come to tell us she is not in Charge. Otherwise, how could GHc 6 million from political parties go to an individual's account.”

Thus he said to the EC Chairperson: “If you are not and top and are not on top of issues and you are not capable of managing then we should find new managers.”

There are currently petitions for the removal of the EC Chairperson and Deputy Chairpersons before the Chief Justice.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana