Oye Lithur chastises EC Chair over IPAC role

Former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Oye Lithur, has observed that the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, has reduced the confidence that electorates have in the elections management body.

Nana Oye Lithur told Alfred Ocansey on the 3FM 92.7 morning show, Sunrise, Thursday, May 28 that the EC chair has adopted a dictatorial posture since her appointment by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a situation that is eroding public confidence.

Due to this development, she said, the work of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) has turned upside down, affecting the processes leading to the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.


“Since 1994, the practice [is] consensus building and the practice had been discussing issues and arriving at a common decision across the party lines. The practice had been the IPAC played an advisory role.

“With the appointment of Jean Mensa, it seems like everything has turned on its head and is more of IPAC attending meetings and being told decisions that the EC has arrived at without discussions, without consensus building,” she said.



The NDC has decided to boycott the IPAC meeting because they feel unfairly treated by the Chair of the EC.

They are also against the plan to compile a new voters’ roll for this year’s elections.

Nana Oye Lithur said among some of NDC’s reasons for their objection to the plan for a new register is the outbreak of the Covid-19.

She said the exercise could further lead to the spread of the virus.