Politically compromised board members will undermine public trust in EC – Rev. Deegbe

A member of the Advisory Board of Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), Reverend Fred Deegbe fears the stay in office of two newly appointed board members of the Electoral Commission (EC) will adversely affect the confidence Ghanaians have in the electoral body.

He said the newly appointed board members are politically tainted and are not inclined to serve in the interest of Ghanaians while on the board.

Dr. Appiahene and Hajia Salima Tijani were appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in March 2023.

They have been accused of leaning towards the governing New Patriotic Party in contravention of the 1992 Constitution.

Speaking on Eyewitness News with Umaru Sanda Amadu, Reverend Deegbe indicated that the country will be going on a slippery road if the two board members of the EC do not resign.

“We do not publicly see any credentials of these appointees, they have been sworn in and people are now finding out who they are, and they found out that these two seem to be tainted politically, very well known in the circles of the NPP. And so we suggest, as it seems right, an electoral management body must be known and seen as fair to all players. Their stay in office will affect Ghanaians’ confidence in the electoral body,” he asserted.

Asked if it has been proven that they are NPP fanatics, Reverend Deegbe said, “Everybody may have sympathy and rightly so because we are all supposed to vote. And if you get to the public and are seen to be speaking for a particular party, and it’s on the internet, everybody who googles will find out about this lecturer, what he has said and what he has done. Hajia Salima’s political inclination is from her husband and those she’s related to which seems to make a suggestion that she could be politically tainted”.

He questioned if the appointees’ nominations were approved by the Council of State.

“We are saying that these two if the President took a look again, he may not have appointed them. And we are even wondering whether the requirements of approval and consultation with the Council of State were done. Whether they were said to have been okay. We are afraid that they are going to make things difficult for everybody if they are politically tainted. We are calling on them to resign,” he indicated.