Appointment of Appiahene: Ghana will one day face the consequence – Kwesi Pratt

The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has stated that the consequences of the appointment of two persons suspected to have ties with the ruling New Patriotic Party as commissioners of the Electoral Commission will one day be felt in the country.

Speaking in an interview on Hello FM, the senior journalist warned that any attempt aimed at changing an election result in Ghana will lead to a bad situation.

According to him, the government’s refusal to consider the opposition to the said appointments will someday spell doom for the country if care is not taken.

“This issue has come up and everyone is complaining about but you are also not listening, Ghana will face the consequences one day if care is not taken,” he noted.

There has been uproar against two of three newly sworn-in commissioners of Ghana’s Electoral Commission by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

According to the opposition National Democratic Congress, Dr Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani, have deep roots in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and therefore cannot guarantee the neutrality and impartiality of the country's electoral management body.

According to the NDC, Dr Appiahene has been a patron of the NPP student wing at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) since 2017, and was a member of the party's 2020 National Research and Data Analysis Team. The NDC expressed concern that his appointment to the EC would hamper public confidence in the institution and undermine the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections in Ghana.

The NDC also alleges that Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani is an activist of the ruling party, and that her immediate family has deep roots in the NPP. The party contends that her appointment to the Electoral Commission would compromise the neutrality and impartiality required of a member of the institution.

However, pro-government and New Patriotic Party elements have refuted the claims by the NDC.

In their defence, government and officials of the NPP maintain that the two officers have no power to influence election results while others have sought to dissociate the two from the NPP.

But according to Kwesi Pratt, an attempt by any person including EC officials to manipulate election results will have dire consequences on the country.

“I hold the strong belief that whoever attempts to steal an election in Ghana will have the consequences being visited on the entire nation. It will be very dangerous if anyone tries to steal an election in Ghana, something will definitely happen so no one should dare try,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the NDC has petitioned the Council of State to rescind its advice to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the recent appointment of three members to Ghana's Electoral Commission.



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