The request for the CVs is to all institutions of the state - Awal

A Member of the Communications Team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Awal Mohammed has said that the request for the Curriculum Vitae (CVs) of directors of the Electoral Commission (EC) is to all state institutions. 

Speaking on the Big Issue on TV3 Wednesday, May 31, he said that the EC is no exemption.

A circular from the Electoral Commission’s Director of Human Resources to the head office and regional directors indicated that the instruction was not to the EC alone.

This development has attracted criticism from a Political Scientist at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo,

Prof.

Gyampo, indicated that “The history of Ghana’s Fourth Republic show that you are currently the worse President in promoting the sanctity of the independence of the Electoral Commission.”

“Why do you want to do this to an Independent Commission?

It appears under your tenure, you are doing everything you can to decimate the independence of all independent institutions, but to what end?

He noted that the President’s excesses have largely gone unchecked due to the lack of courageous people to call him to order.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t courageous people around you to tell you to back off your attempts at annexing the Electoral Commission.

Back in the days, Dan Botwe as General Secretary of the NPP could boldly tell President Kufuor in the face to back off his attempt to usurp the procurement powers of the Electoral Commission and the President had no choice than to listen.”

He added “Please leave office and leave the sanctity of our independent institutions intact.

This demand is unnecessary and it’s optics for the quest to deal with the independence deficit of the Electoral Commission are bad,” he said.

Prof.

Gyampo also called on the EC to be assertive in defending its independence from such executive encroachment.

“But the Electoral Commission too must not be seen to be swallowing everything thrown to them by the President hook, line and sinker.

As an independent Commission, it is backed by law to resist every attempt at subjugating the Commission under the Executive President,” he concluded in his Facebook post on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.