The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the appointment of Madam Emelia Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) by President John Dramani Mahama.
The party described the move as unacceptable and a threat to public confidence in Ghana’s electoral system.
In a statement signed by its National Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the party called on President Mahama to immediately withdraw the appointment and called on the Council of State to explain the advice it gave on the matter.
The NPP argues that Madam Agbenyo is a known partisan figure who cannot be neutral in her new role.
“Madam Agbenyo served as the NDC’s governance sector spokesperson during the preparation of the party’s 2024 manifesto. She spoke for the NDC as it campaigned for power. She is seen in videos on NDC campaign rally platforms campaigning with and for the NDC. She is seen in NDC campaign T-shirts openly advocating for the NDC. Less than two years on, the President has placed her among the top leadership of the institution that will conduct the 2028 general elections. We find this unacceptable,” the statement said.
The party also accused President Mahama of double standards, referencing his own comments in March 2023.
“We are also compelled to remind Ghanaians of President Mahama’s own words. In March 2023, he criticised the appointment of persons he described as party activists to the Commission, allegations he could not even provide any evidence for and called for Article 43(2) to be amended so that Parliament would approve such appointments. The President has now done exactly what he condemned,” the NPP stated.
According to the NPP, the consequences of the appointment are serious and could undermine peace and stability.
“Public confidence in the Commission is the foundation on which every election result rests. Once that confidence is lost, every registration exercise, every boundary decision and every declaration of results become open to suspicion. That is a danger to the peace and stability of our country, and it is avoidable,” it said.
The party further questioned the competence and neutrality of the appointee.
“The New Patriotic Party cannot trust that an active NDC operative, will demonstrate respect for the law; She’s partisan and can’t be neutral and We doubt she will be transparent at her office as deputy EC. Her accuracy, professionalism and competence would be clouded due to her strong affiliation with the NDC and obviously, she’s designed not to serve the interests of the nation the NDC, her political party,” the statement added.
The NPP also took issue with remarks made by Mr. Asamoah during the acceptance speech, describing them as “deeply troubling” and as bearing “the hallmarks of a partisan agenda, one that appears closely aligned with the interest of the NDC.”
“The Party will use every lawful means available to protect the integrity of our electoral system. We invite civil society organizations, religious bodies, the media and all well-meaning Ghanaians to add their voices to this call,” it concluded.
The NPP also urged government to use the ongoing constitutional review process to reform the appointment of Electoral Commission members, in line with the proposal President Mahama himself made in 2023.
