-Ahead of DrAkwetey, AmaduSule

As the search for who replaces the Chairman of Electoral Commissioner DrKwadwoAfariGyan gathers momentum, The aL-hAJJ can confirm that President John DramaniMahama, in line with his constitutional mandate, will be submitting three names to the Council of State for consideration and advice in the coming days.

This latest move will bring to an end speculations and wrangling over who succeeds DrKwadwoAfariGyan as EC boss.

DrAfariGyan, who has been on his terminal leave since December 2014 is billed to officially retire in June, having reached his mandatory 70 years as stipulated in the 1992 constitution.

The three names to be submitted by the president to the Council of State include Chairperson of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei; Executive Director of Institute for Democratic Governance, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey and a deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Alhaji Amadu Sule, this paper has gathered.

However, The aL-hAJJ can confirm that favorite amongst the three names to be considered for the job is Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei followed by Dr Emmanuel Akwetey and AlhajiAmaduSule in that order.

Impeccable source at the seat of government disclosed to The aL-hAJJ that unknown to many who are calling on the president to carry out wider consultations before appointing AfariGyan’s successor, President Mahama, after almost three months of meticulous search, consultations and considerations, has finally settled on the three distinguished Ghanaians.

According to a dependable source who does not want to be named, while the president would have preferred to continue tradition and the precedence of allowing the next in command at the EC to take over, he nevertheless and based on several recommendations, decided to add two 'outsiders' for the consideration by the Council of State to prove he is indeed a 'listening' president.

Though President Mahama’s obvious preference would have been DrAfariGyan’s next in command, AlhajiAmaduSule according the source close to him say, after listening to varied opinions of Ghanaians, he has decided to submit the two other names for the advice of the council.

While the source refused to disclose the other of merit in the three names, TheaL-hAJJ’s intelligence indicates that the NCCE boss’ name came out top of the list followed by DrAkwetey and AmaduSule.

And indeed, this paper's sources at the Council of State indicate that the council was likely to settle on Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Oseito, among other reasons, satisfy the generality of Ghanaians due to her qualifications, competence and experience and, above all, gender.

Prior to herappointment as NCCE boss in August 2011, Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei was the founder and Lead Counsel of Prime Attorneys, a leading law firm in Accra.

She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Commercial Bank Limited and the Ghana Reinsurance Company Limited.

She had earlier served as a Senior Legal Officer for the Ghana Commercial Bank and as a Company Secretary/Legal Adviser for Unibank Ghana Limited.Madama Charlotte Osei holds a Master of Law Degree (LL.M) from Queen's University, Canada, and a Master in Business Leadership (MBL) from the University of South Africa.She has significant experience in several facets of Law with particular specialization in Corporate/Business Law, banking, investment and employment law.

Dr Akwetey, on the other hand, is founding Executive Director of IDEG, one of Ghana’s leading research and advocacy organization established 2000. He is a political scientist with a PhD degree in International Politics and Development obtained at the University of Stockholm, Sweden in 1994.

A competent academic and accomplished manager, Dr Akwetey is also a passionate advocate of democratic governance and human development, civic participation in credible management of multiparty elections in Africa.

He is widely consulted on issues of political and administrative transitions, and international aid and development effectiveness.

The IDEG boss is also a member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (EPG). He recently won for IDEG, the ‘Millennium Excellence Award’ for Democratic Development in Ghana for the period 2005 – 2010.

The deputy Chairman of EC in charge of operations, Alhaji Amadu Sule, has several years of experience in election management. Prior to his appointment as deputy chairman, Amadu Sule was head of the EC in the Brong Ahafo region.

The appointment of Chairman of EC is regulated by article 70(2) of the 1992 constitution, which states, “The President shall, acting on the advice of the Council of State, appoint the Chairman, Deputy Chairmen and other members of the Electoral Commission.”