Naagyei 90.3 Fm Agyapa
Former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Charlotte Osei has disclosed that she didn’t cast her ballot in the last general elections on December 7, 2020, as she spent her time on election day at the beach with her family.
Speaking on Joy FM Wednesday, August 18, 2021, the former head of Ghana’s Electoral Body told host Winston Amoah that she didn’t even register during the voters’ registration exercise to enable her to cast her ballot.
She was asked “Where were you on the 7th, 8th, and 9th December 2020? she responded, “at the beach”.
You didn’t vote, she was quizzed? She answered, “no, I didn’t”. She was further asked ‘you didn’t monitor the elections’? she responded ‘no’.
The journalist further probed ‘why’? she answered ‘why should I, did you? ‘I did’, the journalist answered, she retorted: “that’s part of your work, and you were paid for that weren’t you? …I wasn’t paid to monitor the elections. So I can’t have time with my children at the beach?
The journalist further asked “As a former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission you should be concerned about our elections? “That’s your feeling” she retorted.
Asked if she registered to vote in the 2020 elections, she answered “no”.
“You don’t feel like wanting to have a lot to do with our electoral system” she was further asked?, she responded: “that’s not true to a certain extent…you know, you are asking questions like I’m still a public official, remember that I’m not a private citizen and I can do whatever I want to do.”
Madam Charlotte Osei together with her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwa were in June 2018 sacked by President Akufo-Addo based on recommendations from the committee that investigated corruption and misconduct allegations against them.
Some concerned workers of the Electoral Commission in July 2017 petitioned the President and the Chief Justice to begin impeachment processes against the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei.
They accused Mrs Osei of taking unilateral decisions without recourse to the appropriate departments of the EC, even her deputies.
The group also accused the EC Chair of engaging in fraudulent activities, citing her decision to cancel a contract awarded to Superlock Technologies Limited (STL) to supply and manage Biometric Voter Registration machines (BVRs) and the Biometric Voter Devices (BVDs), as well as her directive for the payment of $76,000 to IT firm, Dream Oval.
Following that, a counter-argument ensued between Mrs Osei and her two deputies that portrayed that all was not well between the three topmost commissioners at the EC.
A counter-petition was also filed for the removal of the two other commissioners, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa.
After about a year of investigations, the Chief Justice’s committee handed over its report to the presidency.
A statement signed and issued by the Minister of Information, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid said: “The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has, on Thursday, 28th June, 2018, removed from office the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Mr. Amadu Sulley and Ms. Georgina Opoku Amankwah, with immediate effect.”
“This was after the Committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three persons by Ghanaian citizens, recommended their removal from office.”
