Joyce Bawah Mogtari, the special aide to President-elect John Dramani Mahama, has called for the resignation of the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Jean Mensa, following concerns about the Commission’s handling of the 2024 elections.
The EC faced numerous challenges ahead of the election, including issues with biometric verification devices and the recall and reprinting of ballot papers due to a leak of the original ballots.
These problems led to a decline in public trust in the Commission, with many describing it as incompetent.
In an interview on GHOne TV, Mrs. Mogtari expressed surprise that Jean Mensa had not resigned after the election declaration, considering the series of issues that plagued the Commission.
She argued that the EC’s performance during the election has damaged its credibility, and it is crucial to take steps to restore public confidence in future elections.
She said, “I would have thought that she [Jean Mensa] would resign after the declaration. I don’t understand. But genuinely, considering the performance of the current Electoral Commission, what do you expect? From a very professional standpoint, if we genuinely want to move forward and start a new chapter with an independent EC, as the Constitution intended, let’s advertise the position, vet the candidates, and have Parliament handle the process. This will help remove the partisan outlook of the EC.”
Mrs. Mogtari suggested that the position of the EC chair should be advertised and vetted in Parliament.
This, she believes, would help restore professionalism and independence to the Commission, removing the partisan outlook that has plagued it.
