Jean Mensa, EC Chairperson
Mr. Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, the Acting CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has stated that any potential move to remove Electoral Commission (EC) Chair Jean Mensa will follow constitutional provisions, not political demands.
He emphasized that removal processes shouldn’t be subject to politicians’ whims, but rather adhere to the thresholds set by the 1992 Constitution.
Tamakloe’s comments come after NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia called for Jean Mensa’s removal. According to Tamakloe, while Nketia’s views about the EC Chair are well-known, any decision regarding her removal must comply with the Constitution.
“The views expressed by my National Chairman are views he has always expressed about the Commission. I remember vividly, my chair say, that Jean Mensa at IEA, had a lot of respect for her because she was basically the melting point for political parties. Subsequently, having become the commissioner, the conduct that she put up has never lived up to my national Chairman’s expectation both as General Secretary of our party and the national chairman.” he said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.
However, Mr Tamakloe added that “what is important is that anybody, be it the commissioners, of whoever, their removal processes are not at the whims and caprices of politicians. It is the constitution. So ultimately, the threshold that the Constitution sets, if that threshold is met, that is it.”
Referencing the petition by policy think tank IMANI Africa seeking Mensa’s removal, Mr Tamakloe noted that “IMANI is a think tank that has established credibility. I’ve never seen a think tank with such internal diversity.”
“Ultimately, any decision must comply with the 1992 Constitution” he said.