Heads must roll at EC – IEA fellow

A senior research fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr. Ransford Gyampo, has called for heads to roll at the Electoral Commission (EC) to restore its credibility.

According to him, the activities of certain officials, especially the deputy chairman in charge of operations Amadu Sulley have given rise to the institution being discredited by Ghanaians.

“Amadu Sulley must be sanctioned,” the Political Science lecturer and a member of the EC electoral reforms committee told Kumasi-based Ultimate FM.

According to Dr Gyampo, the “EC no more operates as a commission”, adding the lack of proper consultation and communication with stakeholders does not augur well to redeem the seeming dented image of the electoral regulatory body.

“It seems that the EC doesn’t operate as a Commission. You have certain individuals, I don’t know whether by sheer incompetence, they try to allocate certain duties and responsibilities to themselves and they ignore the fact that they work with stakeholders.

“Over the years, this attitude has dented our electoral politics and has ushered the whole nation into chaotic scenes and confusion.

“If you go to the EC or the members of the Commission, some will tell you that they are not even aware that such an order was given,” Dr Gyampo remarked.

The Electoral Commission on Tuesday put on hold the continuous registration of voters pending a thorough discussion of the matter with IPAC. The suspension was in response to some concerns raised by major political parties and pressure group Let My Votes Count Alliance.

The parties – the National Democratic Congress, the New Patriotic Party and the Progressive People’s Party - chide the Electoral Commission for failing to inform them as major stakeholders before the exercise commenced.