Plot to smear EC boss thickens

Having been unsuccessful in their previous attempts to block her appointment as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, persons bent on ensuring Madam Charlotte Kesson Smith Osei faces torrid times at the election management body have intensified plots to disrepute the enterprising lawyer.

From spurious allegations of being a failed parliamentary candidate aspirant of the ruling National Democratic Congress to alleged procedural impropriety in her appointment, (which is a subject of litigation at the Supreme Court), sections of the populace, particularly the opposition New Patriotic Party and their acolytes, have never missed the opportunity to rundown the first woman EC Commissioner.

Even before taking her seat at the EC, Madam Charlotte Osei was greeted with demands for a new voter register by the NPP and their rainbow pressure groups including, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko’s remotely controlled Danquah Institute, Let My Vote Count Alliance and Alliance for Accountable Governance among other opposition tainted groups.

Perhaps, having realized that the pro-opposition pressure groups charged with the ill-defined responsibilities of tormenting the new EC boss are not living up to expectations, some supposed independent socio-politico-analysts; some clergy men and members of the NPP have now overtly joined the fray to portray her as an agent of the ruling party who is determined to skew the November polls in favor of President Mahama.

While the ugly ‘noise’ was just about dying down following the EC’s detailed and compelling explanations why the NPP’s demand for new voter register was untenable, the anti-Charlotte Osei ‘haters’ have managed to create another storm out of an 18 member steering committee the election management body recently inaugurated.

Even though the establishment of election steering committee was a collective decision by the EC, the Charlotte Osei bashers have singled her out for attack, alleging further that she has packed the committee with NDC members in order to rig the election for the ruling party.

As if this baseless allegation was not enough, a former Chief Director of the Electoral Commission and a known dye in the wool sympathizer of the Busia-Danquah tradition, Damoah Agyemang, some so-called men of God and political commentators among others, are suddenly becoming a pain in the neck of the EC boss, taunting her as lacking the requisite finesse, experience and independence to be an election arbiter.

Alleging that the EC boss is being controlled by unseen hands, the pro-NPP former EC Chief Director said, Madam Charlotte Osei needs to come clean to justify her neutrality.

Mr Damoah, whose analysis on elections matters on several occasions since his exit from the EC have been tilted to favour the position of the NPP, told Accra based Kasapa Fm, “I’m not sure she’s in firm control of her job – she needs to do more to show her neutrality judging by her past deeds.”

Rehashing the old hogwash charge of the EC boss been complicit in turning down the NPP’s call for new register, Mr Damoah said “I was totally disappointed for her to publicly show her biases on the call for new voters register when she constituted the Justice Crabbe Committee to look into the matters and solicit views and also advise the commission on it. If you have taken the platform to be telling us your views and opinion on the issues, then the impression is that your neutrality is missing, as such you’re only imposing your views on the committee.”

But Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr, has observed that though everybody has the right to criticize activities of the EC, “it seems singling out Charlotte Osei may be deliberate…”

Speaking on Peace Fm, Kwesi Pratt Jr noted that there is an "impression" out there that some people are deliberately “stampeding and mounting pressure” on Madam Charlotte Osei.

“If the commission has made an error, we should talk about it but to single out this innocent woman who is performing her national duty and to be punching her day and night when indeed the practical reality is that even some of the decisions she is supposed to announce are decisions she is supposed to, …I think it is most unfair.

However, before Madam Charlotte Osei parry’s this needless attack on her personality, another well-known anti-government “agent” in cassock, Rev Stephen Richard Bosomtwe-Ayensu is also accusing her of scheming to impose President John Dramani Mahama on Ghanaians in the upcoming November polls.

The Presiding Bishop of the Dzorwulu Circuit of the Methodist Church, who has never ‘seen’ or said anything good about the NDC government, added “the EC chair cannot appoint the president for the people but the people must rather choose their leader of choice. The current posture of the EC seems to portray that the commission wants to impose the sitting President on us.”

Predictably, Rev Stephen Richard Bosomtwe-Ayensu’s counterpart in the anti-government “project” and, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Prof Emmanuel Martey, has also lashed out at the lady EC boss.

But their colleague men of God, operating under the name Concerned Clergy Association of Ghana, have called for an end to the many needless attacks on the EC boss. President of the association, Bishop Prince Benny Wood said, the group is worried about various comments and contributions some section of the public have made in relation to the steering committee. He indicated that if the commission or the EC chairperson has erred, it is important to use the right means to deal with the issue and not conjecture matters to make issues worse. “If you continue attacking the personality instead of the issue, do you expect her to run the elections for you? It’s better to shun the blame game and let’s move on as a nation” he stated. Prior to the unjustifiable attacks by the men of God, loud-mouth political science lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology, Dr Amoako Baah, had called Madam Charlotte Osei all kinds of names and demanded for her head. The supposed neutral political analyst, who was recently spotted leading a fund raising program for the NPP at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, described the EC boss as incompetent and unfit for the job, hence should be sacked.

Similarly, another fanatic of the opposition and leading member of ‘OccupyGhana’, Casley Hayford, has also passed damning verdict on Charlotte Osei, with the sole aim of creating disaffection for her.

In what was ostensibly, a friendly advice to the EC boss but indeed, a subtle attempt to set up the former NCCE boss for attack, former President Kufuor has also charged the EC to be neutral in its dealings.

Obsessed with schemes to crucify the EC boss, the NPP, who not long ago described immediate past Electoral Commissioner, Dr Afari Gyan as the ‘worst monster’ ever to walk the surface of the earth and, without any sense of shame, are today strangely saying Dr Afari Gyan is “better than Charlotte Osei”.

According to NPP deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen, the new EC boss is a pale shadow of the man they dragged to the Supreme Court and accused of conniving with NDC to deny Nana Akufo-Addo, and NPP victory in the 2012 election.

In order not to allow the EC boss room to operate, the Brong Ahafo regional youth organizer of the NPP, Kwame Boafo, and former youth organizer of the PNC, Abu Ramadan, have filed two separate writs at the Supreme Court, seeking to compel the EC to compile a new register.

While this is on, a failed National Youth Organizer of the NPP aspirant, Richard Nyamah has also initiated processes intended to have Madam Charlotte Osei impeached.