Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission has proven the NPP wrong, spokesperson for the party's presidential candidate for the 2016 elections and now president-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated.
Charlotte Osei, a former Chairperson of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) was appointed in the middle of 2015 to replace long-serving Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, who was retiring. Â
Being the first ever female to take up the office since Ghana gained independence, her appointment was deemed by many as commendable with the exception of the NPP.
Though the party did not question her competence at the time, it expressed its unhappiness at President John Mahama for not addressing key recommendations in the Constitutional Review Committee report before appointing Dr Afari Gyan’s replacement.
“The Constitutional Review Committee report sought a move away from the indefinite tenure of [Electoral Commissioners] to some limited tenure for election administration. Across the globe Ghana seems to be the only odd one in this process of an indefinite tenureâ€, the NPP's Director of Elections, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah stated, adding that “but all of these, I don’t think, have been properly addressed. For now, we can say congratulations to her. One cannot challenge her competenceâ€.
A few months after, the NPP's tune had changed and Mrs Osei was being severely criticised at every turn of the way in the run-up to Wednesday's general elections.Â
Key in their criticisms was a seeming fear of a possible rigging agenda by the EC Chairperson to the advantage of President Mahama and the NDC.
Indeed, NPP Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong at a rally in Kumasi alleged that Mrs Osei was only handed her position because she traded her body.
The party's deputy general secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen is also on record to have stated that Mrs Osei was worse than Dr Afari Gyan whom, the party had severely criticised especially after the 2012 general elections.
The EC's handling of the disqualifications of some flagbearers and the numerous litigations that arose thereafter and the chaotic 'special voting exercise', a few days to the general elections engendered the NPP's criticisms that the
Charlotte Osei was incompetent at her job.
But considering the EC's critically acclaimed performance on December 7, Mr Hamid has admitted that Mrs Osei performed well beyond their expectations.
Speaking on Joy FM's Newsfile, a day after his boss was declared a president-elect by Charlotte Osei, Mustapha Hamid said, "Let's be honest, Charlotte Osei's appointment was greeted with a lot of scepticism and suspicion by the NPP. No doubt about it" and "she was out there to prove us wrong and it was her duty to prove us wrong and she has absolutely proved us wrong".