Leave The EC Alone (1)

Jean Mensa

 

When we insist that John Mahama is a very inconsistent character, just short of saying his actions are hypocritical, his guard dogs in the NDC, civil society, media and academia descend on us.

We have always based our standpoint on facts, especially statements made by him in the past and now. Those who attack us, we believe are not haunted by short memories. Thus they remember the spirited defence their leader, John Mahama always mounted when his darling girl, Charlotte Osei was criticised by the then opposition NPP.

Listen to one of such defences by John Mahama a few weeks to the 2016 general election. At a rally in Funsi in the Upper West Region somewhere in November 2016, John Mahama described election rigging allegations against Charlotte Osei as “absurd nonsense.”

He said at the said rally that, “…If you notice, in the run-up to the election, there has been a consistent criticism of the Electoral Commission (EC). Indeed, they have said the most unspeakable things about the Chairman of the Electoral Commission and that is all preparing the minds of their supporters for when they lose, so when they lose, they can blame the Electoral Commission as not being neutral.”

In April that same year, John Mahama called on the opposition political parties to stop harassing Charlotte Osei and cooperate with her to purge the voters register. Now that John Mahama too loves to hate Mrs. Jean Mensa, the sitting EC Chairperson, will it be fair to say that he has also joined the tradition of “haranguing and just harassing the commission?”

We think the time has come for John Mahama to leave the present Commission “in peace to do its work, it’s done it before, so let them do the work.”

We know John Mahama has served in the highest office of the land and for the sake of that office we do not doubt his integrity. However, we urge him to be consistent by word and deed so that Ghanaians can consider him worthy of that high office again. We have space to tolerate constructive criticisms but not false claims intended to undermine the credibility of the EC.

The “rescue mission and building the Ghana we want together” mantra of the NDC and its allies is simply a task to undermine state institutions.

That way they bring the credibility of such institutions into dispute to the extent that the public trust is destroyed.

One such institution the NDC and its allies including IMANI love to hate is the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission (EC).

After the NDC’s attempt to regain power in 2020 after its disastrous performance under the watch of Charlotte Osei, John Mahama has never missed the opportunity to denigrate the EC, especially Jean Mensa and her deputies.

In this desperate attempt for power again, John Mahama has not failed to exhibit one distinguishing characteristics and which is forgetfulness or short memories. If that were not the case would John Mahama have so soon forgotten the advice of their idol Kwadwo Afari Gyan to all political parties that elections are won at the polling centres but not the strong room of the EC?

If John Mahama after the 2020 polls attributed their loss partly to their polling agents, who were mostly illiterates, then why he and the NDC would persistently attack the EC and its leadership for their electoral misfortunes. Yes, it has always been the expectations of every Ghanaian to have a very independent, impartial and efficient electoral umpire which to a very large extent Ghana can boast of. And also if elections can be manipulated in favour of governing political parties, Ghana would not have experienced three regime changes during this Fourth Republic.

Perhaps, John Mahama is communicating the NDC’s dangerous agenda in 2016 to us now because he feels that what he was unable to use Charlotte Osei to do then, Akufo-Addo would do with support from Jean Mensa. Our elders say the executioner is always afraid to lie in a supine position. We have always challenged Ghanaians to be vigilant at all times to avoid their knives being used to decapitate the python.

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