Open Letter to Mrs. Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana By One Volta Group December 26th, 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dear Mrs. Jean Mensa: The One Volta Group (OVG), a civil society organization that advocates democracy, rule of law and the fundamental human rights of Ghanaian citizens, wishes to register its strongest condemnation of the Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) under your chairperson-ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The democratic process is based on the idea that citizens or groups \nof citizens should have the right and opportunity to participate in \nmaking important national decisions. The Electoral Commission is the \nagency delegated the authority to oversee and organize the orderly \nconduct of this exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its core mandate is to be fair and provide an even playing field for \nall participants in the process regardless of the positions the \nparticipants may hold. An Electoral Commission must be seen to be fair, \nimpartial and be a neutral arbiter in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dear Mrs. Mensa, it is our assessment that the Ghana Electoral \nCommission is anything but neutral or even-handed in this very process. \nThe Ghana Electoral Commission is organizing the impending referendum \n(i.e. to create 6 new regions) as if its marching orders are to do all \nit takes to create these regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The expectations are that EC would conduct a fair and orderly \nexercise of the polls no matter what the results turn out to be. It is \nour view that Ghana\u2019s democratic credentials (on the African continent) \nhave been tarnished under your watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We draw your attention to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* The One Volta Group approached the EC Headquarters more than a \nmonth ago to submit an application for accreditation as an interested \ngroup in connection with the polls to determine whether there is \nsubstantial need to create \u201cthe proposed Oti\u201d out of the Volta Region. A\n receipt was issued accepting this submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, frequent and subsequent checks with the EC headquarters was \nmet with the response, \u201cwe are in the process of creating accreditation \nguidelines; please check back later.\u201d Several of these encounters were \nwith your Deputy Chairperson Samuel Tettey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you deliberately continued to frustrate OVG, you clandestinely \nconducted a sham exercise to recruit agents for the \u201cYES\u201d and \u201cNO\u201d sides\n of the upcoming referendum. You intentionally stalled our request to \nexercise our constitutionally mandated democratic right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your conduct as an elections organizer is rather undemocratic and \nshameful to say the least. We recognize that you were appointed by the \ncurrent Ghanaian President, Nana Akuffo Addo who openly declared his \nsupport for creating new regions out of some of the existing regions in \nGhana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also recognize that you probably feel compelled to assist him by \nany means necessary to achieve this goal. However, we wish to remind you\n that your primary responsibility is to Ghanaians. That is to serve as a\n fair nonpartial election\/referendum organizer. In our eyes, this \nethical responsibility has been shamefully compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Because of your desire to disenfranchise us as an interested group \nin the referendum, several members of OVG filed a suit in the Human \nRights Court on December 24, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The purpose was to place an interlocutory injunction on the EC and \nfurthermore demand that all interested persons and groups in the Oti \nreferendum be treated fairly. You were personally served the injunction,\n by a bailiff of the Human Rights Court, at the EC premises at about 12 \nnoon the same day. Shortly thereafter, on the same day, you issued a \nhasty press release denying that you had been served an interlocutory \ninjunction. This clearly demonstrates unprofessional behaviour and does \nprovide additional evidence of your unethical conduct in dealing with \nthe Ghanaian electorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* According to CI 109, issuance of accreditation to interested groups\n should be completed four days prior to the referendum. In this \ninstance, that four-day period came to an end on Monday, December 24th, \nthe day of our suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One would have thought our suit would have highlighted the need for \nyou to act professionally. Instead you further displayed your \nclandestine characteristics by sending a directive to the District EC \noffices to issue accreditation to interested groups. This directive went\n into effect on December 25th, a public holiday. The issuance of \naccreditation continued through Wednesday, December 26th, less than 24 \nhours before the referendum. This directive is in clear violation of CI \n109 which governs the Oti referendum as it falls outside the 4-day \nprovision prior to the election. Such lawless conduct emanating from the\n offices of an election organizing agency is a travesty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* While the EC headquarters stalled and lied to OVG representatives, \nseveral of our members who sought accreditation at the District EC \noffices as polling agents and officers were humiliated, assaulted and \nturned away. Meanwhile you accredited agents of the \u201cYES\u201d side and \nhandpicked sham agents for the \u201cNO\u201d side. Mrs. Mensa, we believe that as\n a lawyer you must be well aware that it is criminal to plant sham \npolling agents for one side in a referendum, while a legitimate duly \nrecognized civic organization had been knocking on your doors to receive\n accreditation. Ghanaian democracy deserves a more ethical leadership \nthan you are providing in this instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As your disingenuous press release stated on December 24th, the \nlawless conduct of the Electoral Commission continues unabated. You \nintend to continue and hold a sham Oti referendum in total disregard of \nthe court injunction served on you by a bailiff of the High Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are, however, not deterred. We believe that Ghanaians are paying \nattention to the high-handed conduct of Ghana\u2019s electoral business under\n your watch. Hopefully, human rights groups, both local and \ninternational, will pay scrutiny to the abuses that have characterized \nthe referendum process in the proposed Oti Region under your watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One Volta Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter N Abotchie (Member)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Julius Badu (Member)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kossi Nutekpor (Chair)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"