The National Peace Council is urging aggrieved staff of the Electoral Commission and the Commission’s Chair, Charlotte Osei, to commit their grievances to dialogue in order to quell further row.
Chairman of the Council, Rev. Prof Emmanuel Asante, an escalation of the tension at the elections administration state institution would mar its independence.
“I have had the privilege to read what they [EC staff] have written, and what she has also written in defence. I will caution that for the good of this country, we need an Electoral Commission that is united therefore no matter what the problems are they must find ways and means of addressing these kinds of issues.
“If it is possible for them to use arbitration to address this internal problem that they might have the better,” Rev Prof Asante said.
Some unnamed group of workers have petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo to remove Charlotte Osei through a counsel, alleging among other things that she single-handedly renegotiated contracts to the tune of almost $22 million without recourse to the Public Procurement Act.
The petition also claims that the EC Chair’s posturing during last year’s general election almost plunged the entire country into instability.
In a sharp rebuttal, Mrs Charlotte Osei has also threatened the faceless staff with a defamation suit through her own lawyer, Thaddeus Sory.
Thaddeus Sory has therefore written to Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, lawyer for the petitioners, demanding that he presents the names and identities of the workers of the EC so that legal action will be taken against them, failing which he the lawyer will be named as the defendant.
However, the Peace Council has said the tension at the Commission could escalate to destructive levels.
“I will think that the authorities that be will use their good offices to put in place an arbitration team to sit and listen to both sides,” said Rev. Prof Asante.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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WHY SHOULD A MATTER OF CORRUPTION BECOME ADJUDICATED BY ARBITRATION. THIS ID EITHER CONNIVING WITH CORRUPTION OR A STATEMENT OF IGNORANCE. THE PEACE COUNCIL IS A VERY REPUTABLE STATE ESTABLISHMENT AND PROF ASANTE SHOULD NOT SOIL THE IMAGE OF THE COUNCIL.
Papa, when we are talking of ***barred word*** don't bring in dialogue. What kind of leaders do we have in Ghana. Put your dialogue somewhere, osofo.
Peace Council, please allow the law to take its course.
Every where Akuffo Addo goes there is trouble. The man is trouble by nature. Ghana will know no peace till this patapa president leave office.
this rev. asante is a very controversial person. serious and several allegations have been leveled this woman and she certainly has questions to answer. what has dialogue got to do with this? and how does the peace council come in?
Do Peace Council still exist, when the npp criminals attacked the court, we did hear them speak, it is a shame.
Prof, I can't agree with you on this at all. Dialogue will never solve the problem. The EC is innocent until proven guilty, once the constitutional process has started let it roll to its logical conclusion. The EC is not being forced to leave office, these are serious allegations some bordering on criminality if it they turn out to be true. I like and admire the posture of the EC, but nobody should shield anyone, after all nobody is above the law. If she is at fault let he be impeached if she is not at fault, she has the right to sue for defamation which she has already commenced.