Ghana EC boss "....she has been a disappointment so far" - Adom Otchere

Paul Adom Otchere

The perceived misguided actions of the Electoral Commission and its Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, are leaving Ghanaians doubtful and worried ahead of the November polls according to seasoned Ghanaian broadcaster, Paul Adom Otchere. He is of the view that the actions and inaction of the EC with respect to the credibility of the voters’ register and other pertinent issues, could give some stakeholders an excuse to cause tensions if the outcome of the elections did not go their way.

The EC and its Chairperson have been the brunt of public backlash for their recent course of action that have seemingly placed priority on re-branding their image over ensuring a credible voters’ register. Mr. Otchere himself has already expressed displeasure with the EC’s recent re-branding exercise, marked by their infamous new logo, which is coming at a time that the country insists there is a lack of funds to undertake certain pertinent exercises in relation to the upcoming general elections.

Mr. Adom Otchere, who has strongly criticized the EC boss during his programme, Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, says the EC should be placing premium on ensuring Ghanaian minds are at peace ahead of the election. “The gamut of matters that are hovering around the head of the electoral commission require critical ventilation. This is the time when you have to set minds at peace... it is upon these matters that she must spend time to give the average Ghanaians a certain peace of mind as we approach the elections.”

He noted that the stakeholders of the election had not agreed on some critical issues such as the validity of the voters' register, despite the elections being just six months away, and expressed fears that their lack of preparedness could serve as a conduit of trouble if the results did not go the way of certain people.

 “My biggest fear is that, we will go to the election and people who will lose the election will come out and say that if this had happened, we wouldn’t have lost. If voters’ register was like this, we wouldn’t have lost... We are giving an excuse to sour losers to be able to turn our country upside down. Madam Charlotte Osei is offering and handing over a major excuse to sour losers to say that if the election was run this way, we wouldn’t have lost.”

 Mr. Adom Otchere, who was a staunch advocate of Mrs. Osei when she was appointed the EC chairperson as the first woman to head the institution, says she has been a disappointment so far. “We want to support her for her to be able to do a good job but so far we think that her focus is misplaced,” he said.