Professor Ransford Gyampo has said that EC chair-nominee Jean Mensa’s attack on the NDC in 2016 following their boycott from the presidential debate was harsh.
According to the political scientist, on hindsight, he believes his former boss at the Institute of Economic Affairs could have spoken better than she did at the time.
The NDC has consistently accused the IEA boss of referring to them as “kids” when they boycotted the IEA debate in 2016. Mrs.Mensa has not commented on the claim.
The political science lecturer, who has put up a spirited defense for Mrs. Mensa following allegations of bias against her by the NDC after her nomination as EC chair, told Bola Ray on Starr Chat that suspicions against the IEA by political parties are often baseless.
“The NPP hated the IEA because they said we had leaked questions to then candidate John Mahama Since then, every invitation from the IEA to the NPP was torn into pieces. But I think her comment about the NDC behaving childish was harsh and maybe could have been said differently,” he said.
He however, believes Mrs. Mensa is competent for the EC chair position.
“She is an extremely competent person. She works from morning to dawn and so the EC staff should sit up and get ready for her because she is a goal-getter and an achiever”.
President Akufo-Addo on July 19 announced Mrs Mensa who is the Executive Director of the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) as the chairperson-nominee of the EC.
She is to replace Charlotte Osei who was removed with her two deputies – Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah – by the President following recommendations by a committee set up by the Chief Justice to probe a petition against them.
Mrs. Mensah was nominated with three others including Samuel Tettey, Dr Eric Asare Bossman to fill the gap left behind by the sacked two Deputies chairpersons of the EC.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
