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Former Member of Parliament for Nanton Constituency in the Northern Region of Ghana, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed says the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission is being attacked because she decided to fight corruption.

“Afari Gyan was never interested in the daily operations of the commission; his focus was on elections and so the other operations were not handled by him…now you have Mrs Charlotte Osei …she came and took particular interest in many things Dr Afari Djan was not so much interested in…” he said.

Madam Charlotte Osei has been on the receiving end of an avalanche of criticisms since her appointment as the Chairperson of the commission. She is currently involved in an impeachment case which started from her workplace.

Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, initiated what may be described as a possible impeachment process when she empaneled a five-member committee last month to look into allegation of corruption against the EC chairperson.

The inquisitorial committee, whose members are yet to be made public, is expected to investigate Mrs Osei, together with her two deputies, Georgina Opoku-Amankwa, who is in-charge of Corporate Services, and Amadu Sulley, in charge of Operations.
 
A couple of months ago, some unnamed EC staff petitioned President Akufo-Addo to trigger an impeachment process against Charlotte Osei.

The accusation against Charlotte Osei included directing of GH¢3.9 million to partition an office, her receipt of a Toyota Land Cruiser from the Mahama government, expending about $14 million when the Public Procurement Authority had authorised her to use only $7.5 million.

Mrs Osei launched her own attack, drawing in the two deputies.

Commenting on the issue, the former MP believes Madam Charlotte Osei’s woes would not have started if she had decided not to thread on dangerous grounds.

“Afari Gyan was never interested in the daily operations of the commission; his focus was on elections and so the other operations were not handled by him…now you have Mrs Charlotte Osei: when the woman was made the electoral commissioner, she should have known that the very people who were bent on becoming the commissioners and never had it, will fight you. She came and took particular interest in many things Dr Afari Gyan was not so much interested in; the daily operations and that is where the chop chop is. She took particular interest because where she worked (at NCCE), she knew what was going on at the Electoral Commission. But she should have also known that coming to fight corruption, you are bound to face obstacles…the woman should have known and that is where I think she was a bit naïve…”