A group calling itself Patriotic Youth Movement has described Mr Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI Ghana as fake, flip-flop and untrustworthy Think Tank.

In a statement signed by its convenor, Mr Peter Antwi Boasiako dated, August 6, 2017, and cited by Daniel Kaku called on Ghanaians to watch Mr Franklin Cudjoe and his policy think tank, IMANI Ghana with eagle eyes indicating that they are barren in producing any ideas.

He added that Mr. Franklin Cudjoe's comments on the work of the Electoral Commission Chairperson over the years are inconsistent.

"The spirit of Ghanaian youth today is so awakened, that we will not countenance anyone who tries to hide behind so-called policy think tank or any organization to defend and protect the corrupt and unscrupulous individuals anymore. The stakes are extremely high now. For we believe our motherland must work again", he added.

Below is the full statement;

I am still struggling to get my head around Franklin Cudjoe’s recent defence put up for the embattled Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei, saying that, she’s been “unnecessarily persecuted” due to her resolve to clean “the rot” at the election management body.

Juxtaposing Franklin's previous comments about Charlotte Osei to this, shows an ugly inconsistency which depicts Franklin Cudjoe's Think Tank as a flipflop, artificial and fake on most national issues, he doesn't deserve to be taken seriously at all.

In all his previous comments about Charlotte Osei as I have catalogued below, he has sought to portray Charlotte Osei as awfully incompetent and ineffective Chairperson at the EC. Therefore, it is quite unimaginable to see the same Franklin Cudjoe appear to be defending the same person he described as incompetent when some workers at the EC have filled a petition to get her impeached.

On 12 November 2016, Citifmonline.com carried a news item with headline: CHARLOTTE OSEI HAS MESSED UP EC – Franklin Cudjoe. In that report, the President of policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe accused the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei of hurting the reputation of the commission with some of her decisions.

According to him, Charlotte Osei performed creditably well at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) where she headed till her new role at the EC.

“At the NCCE she did a stellar job, I’m not one of those who sit from afar and criticize just for criticizing, we went closer and we understood that she did really well at the NCCE but she is messing up at the EC,” Franklin Cudjoe said on the Big Issue today (Saturday, November 12, 2016).

On the same date, 12 Nov. 2016, Classfmonline.com, also published another aspect of his comment headlined: SACK EC BOSS OVER AYARIGA COMMENTS – Cudjoe. In that news report, Franklin suggested that “the chairperson of the Electoral Commission should resign or be fired over comments she made to the effect that the presidential aspirant of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga, would lose the December 7 polls".

Franklin further argued that, “In any serious jurisdiction, immediately, she should be resigning. These are serious matters. Even though she tried to laugh over it when she (Charlotte) came to Ghana and was talking over it, in some respect she should have been probably sacked,” he told Umaru Sandah on Citi FM’s The Big Issue show.

The report continued, "for him, somebody has been bruised badly by your own incompetent conduct and going ahead to make such pronouncements leaves a lot to be desired" - Franklin added. Describing Charlotte posture, Mr Cudjoe said, Mrs. Osei had “typical of African behaviour” rather adopted a posture of ‘I will show them, they said they will take me to court so let’s find more errors and pile them up’ to settle personal scores with such aspirants. “That is completely disrespectful of the Supreme Court,” he noted.

These were comments made by Franklin Cudjoe just 8 months ago to describe Charlotte Osei as extremely incompetent. The question is, What has actually changed today?

On 13 Nov. 2017, another news item by Newsghana.com, with headline: IMANI GHANA CALLS FOR THE DISMISSAL OF EC CHAIR. (A comment made by the President of IMANI Africa)

Now, on 2 August 2017, Peacefmonline.com and Ghanaweb.com published a news item with strange headline: LEAVE CHARLOTTE ALONE TO CLEAN 'ROT' AT EC – Franklin Cudjoe. Shockingly and interestingly in this report, the Owner and Founding President of the so-called policy think tank IMANI Africa, was reported to have said "the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, is being “unnecessarily persecuted” due to her resolve to clean “the rot” at the election management body.” He added, “It is not even constitutionally sensible to be saying she (EC boss) should step down”. That Franklin held a strong view that Mrs Osei “is being unnecessarily antagonised”, reckoning that “there was a lot of rot there already before she went to meet the rot and she is cleaning the rot, allow her to clean the rot”.

I guess the question is, who caused the mess at the EC? Where are the indications suggesting that indeed Charlotte Osei is cleaning any mess She met at the EC? As Franklin argued that it doesn't make constitutional sense to ask Charlotte Osei to step aside, yet when he saw that Charlotte Osei was incompetent and messing up at the EC, he called for Charlotte to be sacked.

My question to Franklin is, did it make sense constitutionally when he called for Charlotte to be sacked? I guess he can call for Charlotte to be sacked but no one else's view about the happenings at the EC should matter, isn't it? Woow, really interesting! To me, I think Franklin is just an empty-headed arrogant ignoramus think tanker, an inexperienced idiot who doesn't measure his previous comments against his current.

Look, Charlotte Osei in her response to the petition filed by some workers at the EC for her impeachment, she alleged that, her deputy Commissioner, Amadu Sulley, has stolen over GHC6.00 million from the institution she heads, the moneys collected from the political parties primaries.

What did Charlotte do about this financial malpractice by her own Co-Commissioner? She again averred in her response that, Amadu Sulley created over 200 Ghost polling stations for the 2016 general elections. Such a treasonable offence committed by her deputy Commissioner.

What did she do about this issue? Why tell us today? Again, Charlotte at a press conference when Ghanaians were anxiously waiting for the 2016 general election results, told the whole world that, the EC’s IT system has been compromised (hackers infiltrated the EC IT system). This caused undue delay and unnecessary anxieties waiting for the announcement of the results. A situation which could have plunged the whole country into serious pandemonium.

The question is, why hasn’t the EC boss, Charlotte, instituted an investigation with the BNI into the cause of this infiltration by the hackers, so that such a thing never happens again in the future? The mess that Franklin Cudjoe claims the EC boss, Charlotte met at the EC and fot that matter she should be left there to clean the rots, I would like to ask, who will also clean Charlotte Osei's mess at EC if she's still going to be there?

To be honest, I started having my serious doubts about this empty-headed Franklin Cudjoe guy when I heard him vehemently arguing that, the Akufo-Addo’s Free SHS is a mirage, something illusory, without substance and not feasible. Laughing and mocking the Free SHS idea, Mr Cudjoe wrote in his statement published on Ghanaweb, on 5th March 2014 with Headline: FRANKLIN CUDJOE'S THOUGHTS ABOUT FREE SHS PROMISE, wherein he wrote, “Mr. President, I have noticed that you are very unhappy with the recent debate over the FREE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. Please relax, ours is a democracy and so please brace yourself for more of such healthy debates. Don't get angry that some and especially IMANI are subjecting your sudden free High school (Free SHS) announcement to analytical rigor. The last time I checked you and your political party rode on our (IMANI’s) analysis, publications and vehement advocacy against the NPP's trumpets on free SHS in 2012. IMANI wrote 6 major reports against the policy. The NDC instead paid for 36 very humorous media adverts against the NPP promise of Free SHS and I believe it worked." Sounding delightful about mocking and taking credit in their achievements in bastardising the Free SHS idea in his statement, Franklin wrote: “IMANI made 32 media appearances against the NPP policy much to the party’s disgust”.

Today, I want ask this Franklin Cudjoe guy and his IMANI Africa, what is their current position on the Free SHS which is about to be introduced fully from September 2017? Is it still remaining a mirage in their calculation or they have revised their position on idea looking at it now?

In all these, the worrying aspect about the IMANI Ghana is that, I have never heard any single substantial policy idea ever offered by the so-called policy think tank IMANI Africa or Ghana. They're only best in criticising people ideas and views. This one too be Credible Think Tank? Chaiiiii!!

In fact, I do wonder why people see these empty headed guys as policy think tank gurus. Policy Think Tanks who cannot even see creditably feasible and tangible policy ideas from afar. Such too are called policy think tank? In Ghana, nobody scrutinises anybody, people commit murder and are allowed to go free.

You see, when there is an issue, instead of sitting down, analyse the issue, reflect over it before making public pronouncement about the matter, they always want to be heard first. They are so quick to make comments about issues which their myopic eyes cannot see from afar. 'First to comment' with the aim of luring people to follow their direction of argument, and by so happening generate unnecessary controversial argument in the media, just to make cheap headlines. They only speak in the direction of their stomach, no proper thinking. That’s what some of them do to generate their income. After-all, what does IMANI do to survive, and how do they generate incoming to pay for their rent and workers? Attention seekers!!

Like I keep saying, the spirit of Ghanaian youth today is so awakened, that we will not countenance anyone who tries to hide behind so-called policy think tank or any organisation to defend and protect the corrupt and unscrupulous individuals anymore. The stakes are extremely high now. For we believe our motherland must work again.

Watch Franklin Cudjoe and his so-called policy think tank, IMANI Ghana or Africa with eagle eyes. They are barren in producing any ideas.

Signed!

Peter Antwi Boasiako

(Convenor for Patriotic Youth Movement, London)