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National Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams has urged President Mahama and the Council of State to ignore the suggestions and opinions of pressure groups and political pundits and appoint the next Electoral Commissioner according to the tenets of the Constitution.

According to the former Deputy General Secretary of the ruling NDC, the quest for the next Electoral Commissioner to replace Dr. Afari Gyan does not rely on the opinions and the interest of political parties and some individuals in the country, but should be based on what the Constitution says.

Incumbent EC boss Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan is due to retire in June and a new electoral commissioner must be appointed to oversee the next District Assembly Elections around September/October and the general polls next year.

Already, two political parties and a political pressure group have called on the Council of State and President John Mahama to engage in broad stakeholder consultations in advising the President on the choice of the next chairman of the commission.

The parties are the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), while the pressure group is Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA). 

LMVCA, a coalition of young patriotic Ghanaians across the political spectrum and beyond, warned that any attempt to plant a National Democratic Congress (NDC) figure at the EC to serve the ruling party’s interest will be met with “aggressive resistance.”

“We are reliably informed that Dr Afari Gyan has proceeded on leave and will not be returning to the EC offices as its head ever again,” the group said in a statement.

“We do not want to have imposed on the nation a person of deep-seated doubtful integrity; a probability that we wish to assure the appointing authority would not pass without aggressive, legitimate resistance from the young people of this country.

“We are fully aware of moves by the President of the Republic to abuse the constitutional allowance to appoint a person to serve the interest of his party and not the interest of his nation. We know of high-powered discussions within the upper echelons of the ruling National Democratic Congress as to who they should settle on to replace Afari Gyan. We will not allow this important constitutional duty to be purely an NDC affair. Let it be known now and without ambiguity that we shall resist making this matter a purely NDC affair with all of our constitutional might.”

But speaking on Okay FM’s "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show, Kofi Adams opined it is part and parcel of human nature for people to openly discuss and passionately share their views on who should become the next EC boss.

“The issue is that maybe if the choice of the next EC boss goes through a fair process and it favors some people, they will be pleased and if through the same fair process, the person chosen does not favor them, they will not be pleased...people are bound to say all sort of things and we must understand that this is the nature of human beings,” he stated.

He however urged President Mahama and the Council of State to ignore the many suggestions and opinions being expressed by pressure groups and focus on doing what is right in accordance with the Constitution.

“I will plead with the President and the Council of State to go strictly with what the constitution has stated on how to appoint the next EC boss because anytime we work with the constitution, it helps us and that explains why Ghana has had successful elections up till now. This is not the matter of what NPP, NDC or ‘Let My Vote Count’ group wants but it should be what the constitution says,” he urged.