The opposition National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has questioned the need for the Electoral Commission’s (EC) Eminent Advisory Committee.
Speaking at a meeting with the Christian Council on Tuesday, Mr. Mahama said he would prefer that the persons on the 21-member committee remain independent of the EC in the event of any dispute.
“The same voice of moral society that we count on when things are going bad are the same people they put on the Eminent Persons Advisory Council,” he noted during his engagement.
“How could you be part of the Electoral Commission advising it and at the same time when issues arise that are emotive from the decision of the Electoral Commission [you] come back and [still] be the ones to resolve the issues? I think that, it is better our Christan Council and eminent people sit aside and then when we have a problem, then we come to them,” said Mahama.
The Eminent Advisory Committee is chaired by a former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emile Short.
It was inaugurated on December 3, 2019 and is part of the EC’s new approach of enhancing engagement between the Commission and the Society as the nation prepares for the 2020 General Elections.
“Our reasoning, therefore, was that having a body of persons that can be trusted by the society to rise above partisan political sentiments to bridge communication between the Commission and the society would help to preserve peace and stability each time we have national elections,” the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, said.
The committee has persons like Rev Dr Cyril G.K. Fayose, the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana; Mr Tony Forson, President of the Ghana Bar Association; Rev. Dr. Paul Frimpong-Manso, Head of the Pentecostal Council and Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
