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IMANI Africa President, Franklin Cudjoe has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson nominee, Jean Mensa, to seek guidance from the experience of the immediate past EC boss, Charlotte Osei.

“She should look to what happened to Charlotte and be guided by it,” he stated on The Big Issue.

Mr. Cudjoe even “encouraged her [Jean Mensa] to speak to Charlotte.”

Jean Mensa, the Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, (IEA), was nominated as the new Chairperson after a turbulent period at the Commission.

President Akufo-Addo on June 28, 2018, removed Charlotte Osei and her two deputies from office upon the recommendation of a committee set up by the Chief Justice, to investigate separate complaints made by some Ghanaian citizens.

Charlotte Osei was accused of various procurement breaches, whilst the deputies were also found guilty of same offenses as well as financial malfeasance.

Mr. Cudjoe noted that he did not expect the sources of the turbulence at the EC to disappear with the nomination of the new EC Chairperson.

It is, for this reason, it is important that Jean Mensa taps into the experience of Charlotte Osei, he said.

The engagement will “let her understand that these are the pitfalls [Charlotte Osei] went into and these are the reasons why some of the decisions were taken.”

“She must try to see that the EC needs total renewal because I still believe there are hawks still there,” Mr. Cudjoe added.