The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has confirmed that petitions seeking the removal of the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, her two deputies, and the Special Prosecutor (SP) have been received and are now in the hands of the Chief Justice for further action.
Speaking on Joy Midday news, Kwakye Ofosu said, “Every process that needed to be done has been undertaken. The process for doing so is quite clear. At this stage, the process has left the hands of the president beyond conveying the petitions to the Chief Justice. There’s little else that the president does in this particular instance. Everything now rests with the Chief Justice, who I believe will act in accordance with Ghanaian law.”
The statements follow President John Dramani Mahama’s receipt of 10 petitions last week requesting the removal of the heads of these public institutions. Seven of the petitions target EC Chairperson Jean Mensa and her two deputies, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, in charge of Corporate, and Samuel Tettey, responsible for Operations. Three other petitions concern the removal of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng.
Article 70(2) of the Constitution empowers the president, acting on advice from the Council of State, to appoint the Chairman, Deputy Chairmen, and members of the Electoral Commission.
The law also sets out that the Chairperson and the deputies have the same terms and conditions of service as Justices of the superior courts, and their removal processes mirror those applied to judges.
Specifically, the Chairperson’s terms are aligned with a Court of Appeal Justice, while the deputies share conditions applicable to High Court Justices.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu reassured the public that the Chief Justice would follow legal processes in handling the petitions.
Source: JoyNews
