Vice President Dr Bawumia (middle), Frema Osei-Opare (2nd right), Chief of Staff and other members of the commission
Members of the Commission of Enquiry tasked to probe the recent violence in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency were yesterday sworn-in by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at the Jubilee House.
They were Justice Francis Emile Short, former Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), who is serving as Chairperson; Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, a former Dean of Law Faculty, University of Ghana and member of the United Nations Independent Panel on Peace Operations, as well as Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, former Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Ernest Kofi Abotsi, former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and private legal practitioner, who has been appointed as secretary to the commission, was also part of the swearing-in ceremony.
The Commission is to make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of the incident and establish the facts leading to the events and associated violence during the by-election to identify any person responsible for the violence.
It is also to inquire into any matter which it considers incidental or reasonably related to the causes of the events and the associated violence and injuries.
The Commission has a month to submit its report to the President, giving reasons for its findings and recommendations, including appropriate sanctions, if any.
Speaking after the swearing-in, Vice President Dr Bawumia, described the setting up of the Commission as “historic,” the first commission to investigate electoral violence in Ghana.
He urged members of the Commission to undertake “this important national service with dedication.”
“We’ve had incidents of violence at bye-elections in the past, whether you’re talking about Talensi, Chereponi, Atiwa. But I think this is the first time any government has set up a Commission of Enquiry to get to the bottom of it,” he said, adding “This is historic, and it shows a difference in looking out for transparency, and to be able to deal with this issue fundamentally so that the future bodes well for our country.”
Government, Vice President Bawumia stated, would provide the necessary logistical and other resources to aid the Commission to undertake the enquiry in the stipulated time.
Speaking on behalf of the other members of the Commission, Justice Emile Short expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve the nation “on this extremely important assignment of national interest.”
Justice Short pledged that the Commission would undertake its mandate in a “transparent, fair and objective manner.
He called for cooperation to identify the root causes of electoral violence and recommend credible and lasting solution to the problem.