Apaak: IEA “jumped the gun” with Jega’s invitation

Presidential staffer Dr. Clement Apaak has said the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) “jumped the gun” with its invitation of Nigeria’s Professor Attahiru Jega to give a lecture on credible polls in Ghana.

The former chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave a public lecture on protecting the integrity of elections in Accra Monday.

The lecture was not attended by Ghana’s Electoral Commission but was heavily patronised by members of Ghana’s biggest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, and civil society groups.

Commenting on the lecture, Dr. Apaak told Nii Arday Clegg on the Morning Starr Tuesday that most of the suggestions advanced by the Nigerian academician are already being considered by the EC.

“He came to share with us what they had done in Nigeria... I believe that we also have a very competent electoral commissioner, we have a rich history and many well-resourced Ghanaians with similar backgrounds who can also help improve our electoral system.

“I have a personal discomfort with the arrangement that brought him here. In many ways I have had complaints about the IEA’s tendency to jump the gun; before the electoral commission put together eminent Ghanaians to hear stakeholders on what we needed to do as a nation to put our electoral roll in shape, the IEA had gone on to hold their own. And I am beginning to feel that it is becoming one too many; given that this processes were ongoing, what is the motive for inviting professor Jega to give this talk before the outcome of the report,” he wondered.