PTAAM Africa Urges Mahama to Act on Petitions for Removal of EC Chair

Pressure is mounting on President John Dramani Mahama to respond to petitions calling for the removal of Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Jean Mensa and her two deputies, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey.

One of the petitions was submitted in January 2025 by the Positive Transparency and Accountability Movement Africa (PTAAM Africa). The group cited three main grounds for the EC leadership’s removal: causing financial loss to the state, creating a constitutional crisis, and alleged misconduct and abuse of public resources.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, September 3, PTAAM Africa’s Vice President, Rashid Isah, expressed frustration over the presidency’s silence on the matter.

“As a matter of fact, we’ve not had any clear communication as to what action the President is hoping to take on our petition. We have sent reminders, and we are prepared to follow up if nothing is done. As of now, there has been no direct communication,” he said.

Mr. Isah argued that Mrs. Mensa’s past decisions, including her insistence on compiling a new voters’ register ahead of the 2020 elections at a cost of over $80 million despite Ghana’s economic challenges, amounted to mismanagement and financial loss. He also cited electoral violence and the disenfranchisement of an entire constituency during the 2020 polls as evidence of a constitutional crisis under her leadership.

The group explained that its petition was submitted on January 8, 2025, shortly after the new government took office. While acknowledging that the administration required time to settle in, PTAAM Africa said it had since sent reminders in April and was ready to escalate the matter if no action is taken.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed, but we have also taken note of certain actions by this government that appear to be geared towards the same goal. As a team, we will soon decide on our next line of action,” Mr. Isah added.