The National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana's largest opposition party, has asked the Council of State to look into the selections of two people to the ruling body of the Electoral Commission.
The newly appointed members, Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani and Dr. Peter Appiahene, have raised issues with the NDC over their ties to the party in power (NPP).
The appointments have also drawn criticism from the Coalition for Democratic Election Observers (CODEO) and certain members of the public.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the Chairman of the NDC, asked for a review of the selections in a letter to the Council of State, claiming that failure to do so would further damage the Electoral Commission's credibility.
In their letter, the NDC highlighted proof of Dr. Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani's ties to the NPP, including their participation in TESCON, the NPP's tertiary branch, and their close associations with key NPP leaders.
The NDC hopes that the Council of State will reconsider its recommendation to the President even though the appointments have already been made and the new members have taken their oaths, in order to allay any suspicion of collusion in the selection of "patently partisan individuals" for the Electoral Commission.
Dr. Peter Appiahene is a well-known senior figure among the ranks of the ruling New Patriotic Party in addition to being a card-carrying member of that organization. He has supported the National Patriotic Party's TESCON tertiary branch at the Sunyani University of Energy and Natural Resources.
He is a well-known New Patriotic Party spokesperson in the Bono area on radio and television," the letter states.
"Dr. Appiahene had held a number of prominent positions for the National Patriotic Party in the Bono Area before being appointed to the Election Commission. He does indeed promote himself as "a strong NPP leader with a lot of expertise in election issues in Ghana" in his political biography and personal credentials.
"We are of the opinion that the Council should reevaluate its advice to the President in light of the facts that we have provided, however, in order to dispel any notion that the Council has been involved in the nomination of these obviously partisan persons to the Electoral Commission. In terms of the Council's function in the framework of our governance architecture, it is important to protect both the integrity of the Commission and the Council.
Also, the letter was forwarded to a few international embassies in Ghana.
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