Dr John Osae‑Kwapong, a CDD‑Ghana Fellow, raised concerns on Joy News’ PM Express that the Electoral Commission’s (EC) internal safeguards may be insufficient to stop a partisan commissioner from advancing a political party’s agenda. He questioned whether the EC’s internal checks can truly prevent a publicly partisan appointee from influencing decisions amid six other peers.
Osae‑Kwapong’s remarks come after President John Mahama’s swearing‑in of Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah and Emelia Afi Agbenyo as EC deputy chairpersons on Monday, October 12, following the resignation of Dr Bossman Eric Asare and the retirement of Samuel Tettey. The president tasked the new deputies with upholding impartiality and strengthening public confidence in the commission.
He argued that other commissioners could act as a check against an individual seeking to act on partisan interests, and that the influence of a single appointee should not override the collective judgment of the body. Osae‑Kwapong said he would be less worried if an appointee lacked the power to override colleagues and pursue a party’s agenda.
Beyond internal safeguards, the fellow proposed assessing appointees against the standards set by former President Nana Akufo‑Addo when he swore in commissioners in 2023. He referred to this as the “Akufo‑Addo test,” which includes criteria such as integrity, fairness, professionalism, and independence of mind and judgment. Osae‑Kwapong said the appointment should be subjected to those standards to determine whether the individual could measure up.
He also questioned the public’s distinction between openly partisan appointees and those who keep their political sympathies private. He noted that visible political affiliations seem to cause particular discomfort when an individual is appointed to an independent constitutional body. “It appears that we have a certain level of discomfort in knowing that somebody is openly partisan and being sent to an independent constitutional body,” he said.
Osae‑Kwapong’s assessment emphasised both the appointee’s conduct and the ability of fellow commissioners to restrain partisan behaviour. The EC’s internal checks and the application of the Akufo‑Addo test may therefore play a critical role in maintaining the commission’s neutrality.
Observers will watch how the new deputy chairpersons navigate these concerns and whether the EC implements additional safeguards to address potential partisan bias in future appointments.
