The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has expressed strong disapproval regarding the appointment and swearing-in of Emelia Affi Agbenyo as Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).
It said while CODEO recognised the President's constitutional authority over appointments, public evidence of Ms Agbenyo’s active political engagement with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2024 general election campaign directly compromises the public perception of the independence, impartiality and institutional credibility of the EC.
“As a primary stakeholder in Ghana’s democratic process, CODEO asserts that the integrity of the Electoral Commission depends not only on the actual neutrality of its commissioners, but on the public’s absolute confidence in that neutrality,” it said.
Resign
A statement issued by CODEO in Accra therefore called on Ms Agbenyo to resign as Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission to protect public confidence in the commission’s impartiality and institutional credibility.
It also urged President John Dramani Mahama to demonstrate consistency with his previously stated position by urging Ms Agbenyo to resign.
“The President must demonstrate that the principles he advocated in opposition remain applicable under his own administration,” it said.
Justification
A statement issued in Accra by CODEO also called on the government to advance reforms that strengthen the independence of the Electoral Commission, ensuring that future appointments are transparent, merit-based and capable of commanding confidence across the political divide.
It further urged the Council of State to urgently take steps to develop processes for citizens to obtain information about how it discharges its national responsibility credibly, to engender trust amongst citizens.
It recalled that in August 2024, the NDC publicly announced Ms Agbenyo among its sectoral spokespersons for the party’s 2024 election manifesto, under the governance portfolio.
It said as part of her key achievements in her bio on LinkedIn, Ms Agbenyo confirmed her role as a spokesperson for the Governance Sector during the NDC campaign.
“Ms Agbenyo’s partisan political activities were also evident online. On September 20, 2024, she posted on her Facebook page a video featuring the then NDC presidential candidate, accompanied by the party’s campaign song, Asempa by NACEE, and the hashtags #a_democracy_to_salvage and #voteforchange2024,” it said.
The statement said on October 31, 2024, Ms Agbenyo posted a photograph of candidate John Dramani Mahama, with the caption: “To salvage our democracy, to restore good governance, reset our nation on the path of thriving democracy.”
It said on December 2, 2024, she published a post on her X account stating: “I will be voting against a government that ridiculed the pains of the people.
Imposing a nuisance levy on citizens is not a thing to celebrate. Governance is no joke, citizens are not your enemies.”
The post, it said, included the hashtags #salvageourdemocracy, #voteforchange2024, #VoteJohnMahama2024, and #EndTyranny.
CODEO’s Call
It recalled that in March 2023, President John Dramani Mahama, while in opposition, criticised the appointment of persons he described as “known party activists” to the Electoral Commission and called for an amendment of Article 43(2) of the 1992 Constitution to require parliamentary approval of new Commissioners.
He also affirmed his commitment to those reforms.
