The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa is scheduled to appear before Parliament today, February 28, 2023 to brief the house on the proposed constitutional instrument for the next general elections.
She is expected in the House together with Prof. Kenneth Attafuah, Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA).
This comes after the Minority in Parliament objected to an EC briefing on Thursday due to the absence of the Chairperson from the House.
The EC is attempting to use the Ghana Card as the sole document for voter registration.
However, a statement from the EC said Madam Jean Mensa was in Nigeria at the invitation of ECOWAS/ECONEC for a peer exchange and election observation mission, leaving the Commission officials to do the briefing.
It is however unclear whether other Commission officials would be permitted by Minority to provide the required briefing considering what transpired in the chamber the last time.
The electoral Commission has denied reports that the Chairperson, Jean Mensa, disrespected Parliament by not honouring an invitation from the House.
In a statement the EC said that the invitation to the Chairperson to brief Parliament on the draft CI on the registration of voters was received late a day prior to the scheduled briefing when Jean Mensa was already out of the jurisdiction.
“The Commission especially its Chairperson understands the importance of the institution of Parliament having worked with Parliament for two decades prior to her appointment as Chairperson of the EC. The Chairperson upholds the institution of Parliament and will therefore not disrespect it in any way.”
“The fact remains that the invitation from Parliament was sent a day before the meeting, at a time when the Chairperson was out of the jurisdiction. Had she been aware of the request prior to her travel, she certainly would have prioritized the meeting and attended upon the Honourable House.”
The EC stresed that the Chairperson, Jean Mensa, is yet to return to Ghana contrary to reports that she had returned from her trip to Nigeria.
Already, Parliament has denied reports that a Constitutional Instrument seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole registration document for elections has been passed.
By Vincent Kubi