President Nana Akufo-Addo has referred two petitions invoking the provisions of Article 146(3) of the Constitution, in respect of the office of the Deputy Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission to the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo.
A press release from the Presidency Friday said, the office of the President received the two petitions, both dated July 25, 2017, from [ads1]Emmanuel Korsi Senyo, who described himself as a “Concerned Citizen of Ghana.”
The petitions against Georgina Opoku Amankwa and Mr. Amadu Sulley comes days after an earlier communique confirmed that a similar petition against the EC Chair, Charlotte Osei has also been forwarded to the CJ.
“President Akufo-Addo, pursuant to the terms of Article 146(3), has, thus, referred both petitions to the Chief Justice for resolution, in accordance with the provisions of Article 146(3),” the statement signed by Director of Communication, Eugene Arhim said.
The country was shocked last week Thursday with a 27-point petition pregnant with allegations of misconduct against the EC Chair.
Georgina Opoku AmankwaThe petition which was to trigger the full impeachment processes under Article 146 of the Constitution, partly described the EC Chair as incompetent, corrupt, fraudulent and autocratic.
The petition, signed by a private legal practitioner, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang stated among others, that the Chairperson of the Commission in many instances breached the Procurement Law in procuring goods and services for the Commission.
In what the petitioners claim to be a one-woman show, Charlotte Osei was alleged to have unilaterally and without recourse to procurement procedures engaged the services of lawyers, Sory@Law who represented the Commission in the pre-election legal banter with aggrieved parties and disqualified flag bearers.
She was also alleged to have abrogated an existing contract with Super Tech Ltd. (STL), unilaterally renegotiating and re-awarding the contract at the new sum of $21,999,592 without serious regard to the tender processes.
“The chairperson, Mrs Osei unilaterally awarded a contract of about $25,000 to a South African company Quazar Limited to change and re-develop the Commission’s Logo under the guise of rebranding without going through tender contrary to the Public Procurement Act,” point 26 of the petition read.
Amadu SulleyEvents took on a new twist when Mrs Osei’s responses to the claims against her triggered further allegations against her by two of her deputies, Georgina Opoku Amankwaa and Amadu Sulley.
In a related development, Mrs Osei has proceeded to court with a suit against the Mr Opoku Agyemang.
She is seeking damages from the court against Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, who on behalf of the unnamed workers of the Electoral Commission petitioned the president to remove the Chairperson of the Commission over stated misconduct.
In a suit on Monday, July 24, 2017, and intercepted by Myjoyonline.com, the lawyer for the EC Chair, Thaddeus Sory, said the claims contained in the petition which was publicised both in the social and traditional media were false and defamatory.
Source: myjoyonline.com
