John Boadu addressing the media
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has stated that it will be naïve for anybody or political grouping to hold that President Akufo-Addo orchestrated the removal of Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Alhaji Amadu Sulley, and Georgina Opoku-Amankwa, from office.
The party said some political groupings, especially the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), who are not in favour of Charlotte Osei’s sacking, are taking advantage of the situation to incite the public against the President.
Security Agencies
Addressing the media on behalf of the party in Accra yesterday, acting NPP General Secretary, John Boadu, asked the security agencies to act on what he called ‘potentially treasonable’ comments.
“On the sacking of the former EC officials, it would take an ignoramus to think and suggest that President Akufo-Addo or the NPP could have orchestrated their sacking,” Mr. Boadu said.
He said “the NPP has noted rather sadly comments being made, especially by the opposition NDC and its surrogates in the media and elsewhere suggesting that His Excellency President Akufo-Addo and the NPP deliberately masterminded the sacking of the former EC boss, based on which premise some of them are proceeding to call for civil disobedience and chaos in the country as a registration of their protest against this development.”
NPP Condemnation
“The NPP first of all, condemns all such reckless and potentially treasonable comments and proceeds to call on the police and the other relevant security agencies to act accordingly as provided by law in order not to jeopardize the peace and security of this country.”
He said that “we should remind those who genuinely do not know or pretend to know not that this country is governed by law not emotions or whims and caprices of individuals,” adding “neither is the country governed by the wishes of political parties.”
“The 1992 Constitution of Ghana remains the supreme law of Ghana and as you would all agree, all the processes leading to their removal from office are in absolute compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and nothing more, nothing less.”
Public Knowledge
Mr. Boadu said that it was public knowledge that the wrangling among the EC bosses was self-inflicted, insisting “it is also a truism that this whole thing started with internal wrangling involving the three top EC officials throwing mud at one another with all manner of accusations and counter-accusations which eventually found expression in petitions filed by some workers of the Electoral Commission, thereby triggering Article 146 of the Constitution.”
He said “the President only performed what the constitution of Ghana enjoins him to perform by first of all, referring such petitions to the Chief Justice and acting in accordance with the recommendations of the committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate the complaints having established a prima facie case.”
“As we all know, it was the CJ’s committee that recommended the removal of the former chairperson and her two deputies upon finding them guilty of wrongdoing and for that matter breaches of law and stated misbehaviour pursuant to Article 146. At this moment, the President had absolutely no option but to act in accordance with the committee’s recommendations else he would be held in breach of the constitution and that may constitute grounds for his impeachment.”
Mr. Boadu added that “we all owe it a duty to respect the constitution of our country and nobody is above the laws of Ghana, not even the President. So if the President himself is subject to the laws of Ghana, then certainly Charlotte Osei and her deputies cannot be above the laws and Constitution of Ghana.”
By William Yaw Owusu