Things have fallen apart at EC – Anyenini

A Legal practitioner Samson Lardy Anyenini says the latest exposé at the Electoral Commission is a clear indication that governance at Ghana’s election management body has fallen apart.

His comments come after a petition was presented to the President by some unknown staff of the Electoral Commission accusing the Chairperson Charlotte Osei of incompetence and financial malfeasance.

In the petition, Mrs. Osei was accused of “single-handedly” dishing out contracts to the tune of $21,999,592 without recourse to the Public Procurement Act. She was also accused among other things to have presented a One million estimate for the renovation of her official residence.

But, in a blistering rebuttal to the allegations totaling 27, Mrs. Osei took her three deputies to the cleaners accusing them of gross insubordination, corruption and arrogance.

This was after she labeled the allegations as frivolous and the product of an “overactive evil imagination” in an earlier tirade.

Speaking to host of Morning Starr Francis Abban, Monday, Mr. Anyenini said “the content of the petition to the president as required by article 146 and the response that we see clearly demonstrates that things have fallen apart at the electoral commission.”

He added “There are corporate governance issues, there appears to be clearly parallel leadership which ought not to be the case in that body.”

Mr. Anyenini also argued that the process in which the petition should have been sent to the President was blatantly breached by the petitioners.
“That entire process is supposed to be highly confidential, particularly the commencement process.”