The dean of studies and research at the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), Dr. Eric Oduro Osae has charged President John Dramani Mahama to immediately appoint a new chairperson for the Electoral Commission to reduce the anxiety over the process.
[contextly_sidebar id=”gbkMwgH7j7LR8ExLbTMdT5ZRkec61ZEK”]Pressure has been mounting on President Mahama to consult extensively before appointing a replacement to Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan who retires in June after 21 years of service to the state.
Some Ghanaians have argued that subjecting the appointment process to wider consultation will make it more credible but others have said the President must strictly stick to the Constitution.
In an interview with Citi News, Dr. Oduro Osae insisted that the President needs to urgently consider naming a new EC chairman since leaving the position vacant after June would only serve to heighten anxiety and tension.
“As early as possible, he should come out with the list because it is getting late and the more people become curious, the more people ask questions, the more pressure mount on the presidency and the more difficult it becomes to make the choice,” he observed.
Dr. Oduro Osae urged President John Mahama to “quickly come out with the list, we should get the stakeholders to give us the input, we should get the council of state to quickly do the background check, they should advise the presidency and quickly we should get somebody in place so that Afari Gyan will work with the person for some time before he retires.”
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana