The Centre for Democratic Development, CDD-Ghana, wants Electoral Commission Deputy Chairperson Emelia Afi Agbenyo to resign over alleged ties to the ruling National Democratic Congress, NDC.
The civil society group is urging President John Dramani Mahama to advise her to step aside to save the credibility of the electoral system.
The Programmes Manager of CDD-Ghana, Paul Aborampah Mensah, said, leaving the matter unresolved could erode public trust in the EC.
“What we are demanding now is that perhaps the President did not know the effect of the appointment he made. Now that it has come to public knowledge, he can advise the lady to resign, or on moral grounds, she can resign herself,” he said.
He warned against the practice where every change in government destabilises key state institutions.
“We don’t want a situation where after every change of government our institutions are affected. That is what we must avoid as a country,” he noted.
Mr Mensah cautioned that politicizing election management could have dire consequences for Ghana’s democracy.
“If we are not careful and continue like that, there will come a time we will regret the kind of people managing our elections,” he added.
The controversy follows the swearing-in of Mrs Agbenyo and Dr Joseph Kweku Asamoah as Deputy Chairpersons of the EC by President Mahama on October 12.
Critics say Mrs Agbenyo’s alleged NDC links raise questions about the Commission’s constitutional duty to be neutral.
At the ceremony, however, President Mahama charged the two new deputies to remain impartial and safeguard the right of Ghanaians to freely choose their leaders.
