Former Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has described petitions seeking the removal of the Electoral Commissioner Jean Mensa and her deputies from office as politically driven, following the Chief Justice’s determination that there is no prima facie case to proceed with investigations.
Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie ruled that petitions filed against the Electoral Commissioner, her deputies, and the Special Prosecutor do not establish sufficient grounds to warrant further action.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, Dr. Okoe Boye argued that attempts to remove the Electoral Commissioner are rooted more in partisan dissatisfaction than objective assessment.
“With what I have experienced, I can say that it is only politics that will cause people to write letters to say that let’s remove the woman,” he said.
He suggested that lingering grievances from the removal of former Electoral Commission Chairperson Charlotte Osei may be influencing current criticisms of Jean Mensa.
“Some have not forgiven her because she came in when Charlotte Osei was removed. She had no hand in Charlotte Osei’s removal. If anybody is dealing with her objectively in this country — even NDC and NPP — and we are looking at her behaviour and her works and not where she is coming from, you will judge her differently,” he stated.
Dr. Okoe Boye cited the Assin North by-election as evidence of the Commission’s neutrality, noting that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the seat despite the New Patriotic Party (NPP) being in government at the time.
“We were a sitting government, and with all the state powers, we went into a by-election in a constituency that had a swing seat. Yet the NDC won overwhelmingly. The NDC beat us in that election despite all the state powers, with Jean Mensa as the Commission. What makes you still say that you want her head?” he questioned.
“Beyond the Assin North election, this woman and her team again conducted the general election with a system that was so transparent and efficient that within eight hours, the flagbearer of the sitting government came out to say that by my own calculation, I have lost the election. Now, if not for an intrinsic bias, why do you want her head?” he asked.
Dr. Okoe Boye, however, proposed constitutional reforms to depoliticise appointments to key independent offices.
No basis to remove EC Chair, Deputies – Chief Justice tells Mahama
