<<Print>>A former National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi Lamptey has commended the work done by Afari Gyan during his time as Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Afari Gyan will step down as boss of the Electoral Commission this month, a body he has managed for over two decades.
The NPP has been a major critic of the EC and its Chairman in recent times, particularly following the 2012 elections, the results of which they contested at the Supreme Court.
However, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, who was the second petitioner in the 2012 election petition, believes that Afari Gyan has showed great courage in his tenure as EC boss and called on his successor to do the same.
“He [Afari Gyan] has done his best and now he’s prepared to move on. Others too must come now and do their best. In 2000 he showed a remarkable amount of courage in allowing the development of the better quality elections,” he told Citi News in an interview.
According to Mr. Obetsebi Lamptey, the outgoing EC boss managed to steer clear of major controversies which sought to undermine his neutrality and served the Commission with integrity.
“He’s tried always to make sure that nobody could tag him with having a major bias so that you can get him maybe on a small bias but on a major bias, the potholes that were put in his way, he managed to avoid,” he said.
Search for Gyan’s replacement
The selection of a new EC Chairman has been been a widely contested issue in recent months.
There has been intense pressure on President Mahama to consult political stakeholders and other personalities before a replacement is named for current EC boss.
Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has warned that they will oppose any attempt by the President to foist his crony on Ghanaians as Chairman of the EC.
Ghanaian journalist Richard Sky filed a writ at the highest court of the land, requesting that the court interpret certain provisions of the 1992 Constitution in relation to the appointment of an Electoral Commissioner.
The hearing has since been adjourned to allow the Attorney General time to file a statement of case in reaction to the suit and also give ample time to both teams to file a joint memorandum of issues for adjudication.
However, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketsia also asked the President not to cave in to the pressure and to stick to the constitution in appointing the new EC Boss.