Mahama Swears In New Electoral Commission Deputy Chairs Amid Political Scrutiny.

President John Dramani Mahama has sworn in two new Deputy Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission (EC), Emelia Afi Agbenyo and Dr. Joseph Kwaku Asamoah. The officials were sworn in at the seat of government, The Jubilee House, ready to occupy the second most crucial position in the Country’s election machinery.

The dramatic exits of the former Deputy Chairpersons of the EC, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, who vacated the post to pursue his second career as a lecturer in the University of Ghana, and Samuel Tettey, whose time of service had come, opened the seats for the new set of leaders. The Electoral Commission is legally mandated to conduct and supervise referendums and elections in Ghana.

Per the provisions of the 1992 Constitution, more precisely Article 43 and 44, the commission shall consist of a chairman, two deputy chairmen, and four other members. It shall be the responsibility of the President to appoint the Chairman and the two Deputy Chairmen. Furthermore, the provisions require that the person appointed as a member of the commission shall hold a term and conditions of service comparable to that of a Justice of the High Court and shall not hold any other public office.

Dr. Joseph Kwaku Asamoah returns to the Electoral Commission after more than a decade and a half of serving in various capacities. The lawyer and economist has been a Director of Finance, Director of the Training Centre, and Head of the Audit Department at the Electoral Commission. Certified as a CPA, attorney, and a business expert, Dr. Asamoah is a part-time lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Emelia Afi Agbenyo has an impeccable academic profile that spans international relations, public administration, and development studies. She was the Deputy Director-General for Operations of the Ghana TVET Service and a Commissioner in the National Development Planning Commission until her recent appointment. Among her many achievements, Ms. Agbenyo, as a technical advisor to the GIZ Ghana, participated in designing Ghana’s foremost technical and vocational education manual with a focus on disability and gender mainstreaming.

The political implications of her appointments have mobilized both negative and positive opinions, with the latter being more palpable. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director Dennis Miracles Aboagye ripped the appointment of Ms. Agbenyo for the EC seat, citing her involvement in promoting the NDC’s 2024 Reset Manifesto as a Governance Sector Spokesperson. Nevertheless, Mr. Aboagye asserted that aside from her exceptional academic qualifications, the woman has impeccable integrity as a non-card-carrying official.

President Mahama, likewise, charged the new set of Deputy Chairpersons of the EC to remain clean and clear of political wrangling in their ruling processes. Dr. Asamoah acknowledged the gravity of the responsibility and the need to depoliticize the national polls. The former Director General of the National Communications Commission (NCC) further stated that they were fully prepared to serve the Country without fear or favor to guarantee free and fair elections in Ghana.