EC boss fit for Chatham award — CenProG
The Centre for Progressive Governance (CenProG) has urged the Royal Institute of International Affairs to disregard claims by pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) that the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei, does not deserve to be nominated for the 2017 Chatham House Prize.
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AFAG, in a letter to the institute, had argued that Mrs Osei did not deserve the award because the electoral processes leading to the 2016 general election were fraught with series of court cases, anxiety and demonstrations which nearly plunged the country into chaos.
AFAG said the successful outcome of the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections was largely the contribution of peace-loving Ghanaians and must not be credited to the chairperson of the commission for which reason she was nominated for the award.
Royal Institute
However, CenProG, in a counter-letter, has appealed to the institute to disregard AFAG’s letter seeking to dent the credibility of Mrs Osei.
According to CenProG, AFAG was a surrogate of the government and was noted for its “blinkered, blinded and wholly partisan nature which has put [its members] on a warpath with the commission since the group came into existence”, adding, “Consistently, the group has attacked the EC and tried on several occasions to set right-thinking Ghanaians against the commission, but to no avail.”
According to CenProG, Mrs Osei’s short stay as the EC chairperson has been “impressive” and has set Ghana as a beacon of democracy in Africa and the world. It added that despite the pressure on her, Mrs Osei did her work diligently, devoid of fear or favour for any of the political groupings in the country during the 2016 polls and, therefore, deemed her worthy of the Chatham House Prize.
Surrogate of ruling party
In a statement, the centre observed with utter dismay a petition sent to the Royal Institute by AFAG, known to be a surrogate of the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to seek to dent Mrs Osei’s credibility and make her unworthy of being shortlisted for the prestigious award.
CenProG is, therefore, not surprised at the posture of AFAG in relation to the chairperson of the EC because immediately after her appointment, leading members of AFAG were all over the Ghanaian media landscape claiming her appointment was questionable, the statement pointed out.
CenProG, therefore, requested the institute to disregard the claims being made by AFAG against Mrs Osei.
The contribution
CenProG, thus, commended the contribution of Mrs Osei to Ghana’s democracy and deemed her worthy of the award by Chatham House.
According to CenProg, “In a country where it is uncommon for women to achieve such height, we find it refreshing that the EC chairperson continues to excel in her role and serves as a role model to young girls across the country.”
“An award for Mrs Charlotte Osei will not be for just her role in our democratic process but will be a plus for women empowerment in Ghana,” the CenProg statement underscored.
“We humbly recommend that you ignore the frivolous and vexatious petition by AFAG whose interest is not that of Ghanaians but of a political party. It is the wish of Ghanaians that officers who excel are awarded so that many others will take a cue and hold themselves as such,” the statement concluded.
