The Presidency has refused to grant a request by some petitioners calling for the recall of Auditor-General, Daniel Domelovo from his accumulated leave days.
About 2,700 individuals signed a petition calling on President Akufo-Addo to reconsider his directive for the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo to take his accumulated leave.
These calls followed similar moves by other civil society organisations demanding the A-G’s return from his 167 leave days.
The petitioners had argued that the leave directive was “an unconstitutional and flagrant interference with the independence and mandate of the Office of Auditor-General” adding that it derails the gains made by the office in the fight against corruption in the country.
But a correspondence from the Presidency, sighted by kasapafmonline.com and addressed to the petitioners although acknowledged receipt of the said petition, thus maintained that the position of the President as contained in the leave directive dated July,03, 2020 remains the same.
“The arguments made in your petition were considered prior to the President taking the decision to request Mr. Daniel Domelovo to take his accumulated leave from 1st July, 2020” the presidency explained in its response.
Ghana’s Supreme Court has unanimously held that birth certificate is not a form of identification.
The court explains that the document does not establish “the identity of the bearer”.
This is contained in the court’s judgment in the case filed by private citizen Mark Takyi Banson which court delivered judgment on June 25 together with the case filed by the opposition NDC.
While the NDC case wanted the current voters ID card to be used in the registration exercise, Mr. Banson made a case for the inclusion of birth certificate insisting it proves identity of prospective voters as Ghanaians who have turned 18.
The Apex Court dismissed these reliefs and deferred its full judgement to July 15.
A copy of the judgment sighted by joynews explains why the Birth certificate was rejected.
The decision written by Justice Ashie Kotey states that a birth certificate does not link its holder to the information it contains. It adds that it provides no evidence of citizenship.
The court compares it to another document it has already rejected; the National Health Insurance Cards and concludes it’s actually better than the Birth Certificate.
It is worthwhile to note that the birth certificate is used as a source document for various registrations including passports which are currently being used in voter registration.
Ghana has a reputation as one of the more established democracies in sub-Saharan Africa. It has successfully organised six elections in its fourth republic, with power changing hands between the two largest political parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress. These two parties represent almost 95% of voting numbers based on past elections.
Over these elections, women have participated and been elected to positions in parliament. Some women have also been nominated as running mates and have run for the presidencies, albeit for small parties. But few have made it onto the ballot for national elections.
Until recently none of the two major parties had ever selected a woman on their ticket even though there have been calls over the years for this to be remedied.
Now one of the country’s two largest parties, the National Democratic Congress, has selected a woman vice-presidential candidate – Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman.
In a study I completed 10 years ago I looked at political marketing strategies to explore the marketability of candidates. The study focused on some of the past elections of Ghana and the key marketing tools deployed by the two leading parties.
Using the study as a framework, I explore the prospects and constraints of her selection. I conclude that although there were more popular candidates within the National Democratic Congress, her largely scandal-free background and strong public service record gave her an advantage.
Well executed political marketing campaigns can help parties win elections. A good example in the Ghanaian context was the 2004 electoral win of the New Patriotic Party, a repeat of the 2000 victory, though the party’s winning percentage fell from 56.9% in 2000 to 52.4% in 2004. The close 2004 contest was won in part by the brilliant marketing communication campaign led by the party’s campaign strategists. Slogans like the “so far so good” theme and “never again” advertisements reminded the electorate of the governance record of the opponents, the National Democratic Congress.
The 2004 New Patriotic Party marketing communication campaign was seamlessly integrated across radio, TV, print and outdoor with common campaign themes, thereby amplifying the effect of their media expenditure. The campaign jingles were also easy to sing along to and therefore had high resonance with the Ghanaian electorate.
Conversely, we found that the party made serious marketing mistakes in the 2008 election. This included the failure to communicate with the grassroots electorate and the perceived aloofness of the incumbent president. This created an advantage for the opposition party to regain power.
The analytical model
Political marketing success is contingent on the successful management of the person, or party, being marketed.
So how marketable is Opoku-Agyemang?
Three factors are worth exploring: who she is, her relationship with the National Democratic Congress party and the party’s ideology.
One of Opoku-Agyemang’s unique selling propositions is that she has served as the vice-chancellor of a public university. She was the first woman in Ghana’s history to hold this position. From 2008 to 2012 she was the University of Cape Coast’s Vice-Chancellor after serving as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
This has given her managerial experience. She is also relatively scandal-free compared to other possible women candidates available within the party.
Another plus is that her presence is likely to enhance the popularity of former president John Mahama as he seeks a return to power. This is because both candidates are independent personalities with positive equity due to their past records in public service.
But there are some downsides to her candidacy. One is that there are conservative elements within Ghana that are opposed to women in leadership positions. Another is her lack of affinity for the Volta region, which is considered the power base of the National Democratic Congress. How the region feels about a candidate matters.
She is also not a widely known party figure, especially to the rank and file of her own party and even to political neutrals.
Outcome
The selection of a woman alone will not enhance the National Democratic Congress’s electoral chances in 2020.
But Opoku-Agyemang has strong points. She has good standing within an important academic bloc. The University of Cape Coast saw growth under her tenure, and as George K.T. Oduro, a Professor of Educational Leadership at the school, noted in a recent article:
She is a woman of integrity and that is what she brings to the Mahama ticket.
It would seem that her brand differentiators are competence and integrity.
The quest for a new voters’ register has been one of the biggest controversies in the run-up to Ghana’s 2020 general elections.
Origin of controversy
The idea for a new voters’ register pre-dates the 2020 election cycle. The then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) first made the claim that the register that was used for the 2012 election was bloated. At the time, General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong claimed, “The electoral register in its current state is incurably flawed and cannot be relied on for the all-important 2016 election.”
He further added that “a fresh registration will go a long way to rebuild public confidence in the electoral process and this is essential for the successful conduct of a peaceful, free and fair election.”
Vice Presidential Candidate (now Vice President) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia alleged at a press briefing in 2015 that the Party had discovered names of about 80,000 Togolese nationals in the prevailing voters’ register.
Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), a pro-NPP pressure group picked up the Party’s call and rolled out a spirited campaign across the country to get the Electoral Commission (EC) to accede to the call for a new register.
All through this period, the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) under the leadership of President John Mahama supported the Commission’s refusal to compile a new register.
Tried as they did, the Commission did not budge. Instead, the Commission rolled out a limited voters’ registration exercise that opened the door for persons not registered to get their names enrolled in the register.
To advance the case for a new register, Abu Ramadan secured a ruling from the Supreme Court that rendered voter cards issued based on the national health insurance cards invalid.
The EC later informed the Court that they had deleted nearly 60,000 names from the register in accordance with the Court’s directive. An opportunity was given to those whose names were deleted to re-register using other definite means to prove citizenship.
Regardless of the fact that the NPP won the 2016 elections, the Party did not relent in its quest for a new voters’ register. Somehow, new leadership at the EC opined that there was a need for a new register. The Commission indicated that current biometric verification devices needed to be replaced because they were outmoded. They also make the case that the cost of overhauling the voter management system and compiling a new register would be less than maintaining or upgrading the existing one.
Civil society groups notably Imani Africa and others as well as the now opposition NDC have challenged the reasons espoused by the Commission’s new leadership. The NDC and other opposition parties formed a coalition to resist the compilation of the register. They organized a series of protests in major Ghanaian cities and submitted petitions to eminent statesmen including Ex-Presidents Jerry Rawlings and John Kufuor as well as Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The NDC continued its agitation by citing the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic; that the registration exercise could lead to further spread of the virus in Ghana. The EC refuted that, claiming that they would observe WHO’s enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols.
The Constitutional Instrument (CI 126) that operationalizes the move to compile a new register gave birth to controversy regarding citizenship. The CI stipulates that only passports and national identification cards would be accepted as source documents to verify the citizenship and identity of people who apply for the voter’s identity card. The NDC alleged that since most Ghanaians do not have either of the two, many Ghanaians could be disenfranchised.
The EC shot back that the CI takes care of that situation. A vouching system allows a registered person to ascertain the citizenship of a person without any of the two identification mechanisms. Thus, any person who does not have the national identification card and/or passport needs to find two people who have either of those cards and have registered with the Commission to guarantee for them to be registered.
Supreme Court cases
After all, efforts failed, the NDC took its case to the Supreme Court. In summary, they asked the Court to interpret Article 45(a) of the 1992 Constitution which mandates the EC “compile the register of voters, and revise it at such periods as may be determined by law.” They prayed to the Court to declare that a register of voters could be compiled once and subsequently revised, not redone. This part of their case was abandoned because the Court asked the plaintiff to choose between this and another relief they sought.
This case found its way back to the court when Mark Takyi-Benson filed a writ at the same Court, leading to the consolidation of his case with that of the NDC.
Secondly, the NDC prayed the Court to order the EC to accept previous identity cards issued previously as proof of identity and citizenship for applicants. Other reliefs were sought too but the Supreme Court’s decision went to reinforce the provisions in the CI 126. The judgment brought finality to the matter and cleared the way for the Commission to proceed with the compilation of a new register.
NDC’s flagbearer, ex-President John Mahama disagreed with the Court’s judgment but urged his Party’s supporters and Ghanaians, in general, to participate in the registration exercise. He also urged those who get the opportunity to register to endeavour to “assist your brother, sister, and compatriot by guaranteeing for them even if it takes a bit more of your time.” He further entreated all to, “See this as a civic duty and your contribution to the effort to preserve the right to vote.”
Clean slate and opportunity for all
Despite the reasons given by the Court, the EC’s timeline for the registration has kicked in and the process is ongoing. To make our democracy more meaningful, it is important for all Ghanaians who are 18 years and above to support the Commission by participating in the exercise.
It is only by registering that we can exercise our sacred right to vote. Whether we agree with the Commission or not, whether we agree with the Supreme Court or not, if we do not make ourselves available to be enrolled onto the new register, we cannot vote in December. The vouching system ensures that no one will be left behind. All hands must be on deck to drive our nation’s progress forward.
In conclusion, the outcome of the Supreme Court decision does not seek to disenfranchise anyone but rather opens the door to allow all eligible Ghanaians to register and vote.
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Written by: Terry Mante | Email: connect@ghanaforward.org
Fellow of Ghana Forward, a non-partisan political movement dedicated to promoting and advancing economic development, visionary leadership and good governance.
Interpol has issued a red alert for the arrest for Samuel Adam Foster, also known as Adam Mahama for prosecution over his role in the Airbus bribery scandal.
He is being charged with “accepting a bribe to influence a public officer” and “acting in collaboration with a public officer for the public officer’s private profit”.
Adam Mahama is facing up to 25 years in prison.
The red alert sighted by Citi News noted that “extradition will be sought upon the arrest of the person, in conformity with national laws and/or the applicable bilateral and multilateral treaties.”
On January 31, Ghana was cited as one of five countries in which global aerospace group, Airbus SE, allegedly bribed or promised payments to senior officials in exchange for business favours between 2009 and 2015, according to the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.
This led to a record £3 billion in settlement by Airbus with France, the United Kingdom and the United States to avoid corporate criminal charges.
These investigations were expected to be conducted in collaboration with UK authorities, according to a statement from the presidency.
In addition to Ghana, the company allegedly paid bribes to officials in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Taiwan within the same period.
The UK’s Serious Fraud Office, however, in its statement of fact did not name the individual Ghanaian officials nor the Airbus agents involved in the crime because investigations were still ongoing.
In the case of Ghana, the UK court found that the company’s bribe was to land the contract of purchase of a military transport aircraft.
“Between 1 July 2011 and 1 June 2015 Airbus SE failed to prevent persons associated with Airbus SE from bribing others concerned with the purchase of military transport aircraft by the Government of Ghana, where the said bribery was intended to obtain or retain business or advantage in the conduct of business for Airbus SE,” the court’s statement of offence noted.
The documents indicated that one of the unnamed Ghanaian officials was “a key decision-maker in respect of Government of Ghana aircraft orders.”
A number of Airbus employees “made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately €5 million” to one of the Ghanaians implicated in the acts of corruption.
Allegations against Mahama
Although no names were listed by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has come out to insist that former President John Mahama is the person identified as the “elected Government Official 1″ named in US and UK court documents.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), which was in power during the period the bribes were allegedly paid, denied the claims.
Members of the group who have expressed serious worry over acts of violence and misconduct during the electioneering period say the political space in the country has been plagued with what they term as demonic forces.
Among the execrable activities, they want to be ridden off in the Ghanaian political discourse are sabotage tribalism, hate speech and abuse of power.
These were highlighted in a speech by the Council under the leadership of its chairman, Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante during the outdooring of the group’s Eminent Persons.
The Christian Council has therefore expressed its willingness to seriously but humbly engage political leaders, the media, security agencies, the Electoral Commission and the citizenry to making sure that Ghana has free, fair and just elections devoid of any intimidation or violence.
According to Rev. Mante, “I have observed some four demonic forces in Ghana’s politics that must be exorcised. We may in future make time to break down and expatiate on them more carefully, but for the sake of time, I will only touch on them briefly.”
These are:
1. The demon of wishing the downfall of a ruling government just to gain political points. We should note that anytime this demonic trait is triggered we all lose as a country; we never progress in our development as a country in that kind of environment. This spirit must be exorcised.
2. The demon of ethnic or tribal polarization. There are people in this country who sometimes give the impression that some tribes are more Ghanaian than other tribes. The worse thing is that they use it politically during the elections period. This is a demon that must be exorcised. This position can be held by either the ruling government in power. Ghana does not belong to any particular ethnic or tribal group; it belongs to all of us-Dagombas, Kusaasis, Bonos, Asantes, Ewews, Fantes, Kwahus, Akyems, Akuapems, etc, we are all one people. The politics of tribal polarization during the electioneering campaign is demonic and it must be stopped immediately and exorcised from our growing democracy.
3. The demon of uncultured and hate speech and lies. Just because of elections people insult other people’s character and personalities; some very young men (small boys and girls) just insult others who are far older than them to even be their fathers and mothers. Sometimes one wonders who nurtured such people. This attitude is a disgrace in Ghana’s politics and it must be eschewed. Do we want to teach the younger generation that politics ais a dirty game? Is that what we want to leave with our children? This is a shame and a demon that must be exorcised.
4. The demon of violence and abuse of power. There are people who talk about violence and act violently. They exhibit these characteristics during electioneering campaigns. Sometimes their leaders acquiesce and support them by not saying anything. When those who speak and act violently are supported by those in power then there is no country but anarchy. This is definitely evil.
IMANI Africa has responded to the Electoral Commission’s claims that it’s not using old Biometric Voters Registration Kits for compiling new names in the voters’ register.
IMANI in a report indicted that the Electoral Commission is using over 40% of the old Biometric Voter Registration kits.
A claim which was denied by the Commission in a statement indicating that they purchased 8,500 brand new BVRS.
The EC described the claims by IMANI Ghana as lies and asked that they should prove with evidence where they saw the Officers of the Electoral Commission using the old BVRS.
In a sharp response to the Electoral Commission, Bright Simons who is a Vice President of IMANI Ghana asked the EC to undertake an ASSET AUDIT to prove whether they are using old BVRS or they are using entirely new ones.
He said “Yesterday, we hinted that the EC has begun a massive cover up after they were shocked to the marrow by scouts exposing use of devices they claim were obsolete in places like Kwashiman. True to form, they respond with more untruths. Video evidence was provided! ASSET AUDIT NOW!”.
He further stated reasons why the Electoral Commission should asset audit saying: “1. The point about a QR code having been pasted and kit numbers being “new” is a laugh! Anybody can stick a QR code on anything. 2. The 8500 machines in use claim is contradicted by there being 6788 clusters. 3. Seeing is believing: https://brightsimons.com/2020/07/10/the-sins-of-ghanas-ec/… 4. ASSET AUDIT NOW! 5. This is an institution that the Aud-Gen says has never passed an asset audit. 6. This institution lied about never having bought new BVRs since 2011. Documents in Parl showed 2000 BVRS bought in 2018. Where are they? 7. Devices used in June 2019 are on camera in use last week!”
Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), former President Jerry John Rawlings, has congratulated former Minister for Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang on her selection as Vice-Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The former President said prior to the announcement, he was informed by the party’s Presidential candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama that following consultations with the party hierarchy, Professor Opoku Agyemang was the favourite among a list of shortlisted candidates.
“If this was the case then there was no reason to stand against it even though I had a few others in mind,” the former President said when the former President and leading party executives called on him on Thursday to introduce the Vice-Presidential candidate.
The party founder urged Professor Opoku Agyemang not to deviate from her principles of integrity. He also urged Ghanaians to go out to register towards the December Presidential and Parliamentary elections, calling on political parties to desist from activities that will create civil unrest.
Earlier, former President John Mahama in introducing his running mate said Professor Opoku Agyemang had the credentials worthy of her selection and listed several achievements including her appointment as the first female Vice Chancellor of a Ghanaian university and her significant contribution to the educational sector during her tenure as Minister.
General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia who accompanied party Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and Kofi Attoh, party Vice Chairman to the meeting, said Professor Opoku Agyemang was a very good choice. General Mosquito as he is popularly known, said the Vice-Presidential candidate was outstanding and he was confident the party will win the upcoming elections. He said the selection of Professor Opoku Agyemang goes to prove internationally that the NDC stands for the promotion of youth and women empowerment.
Former Ghanaian youth star, Nii Odartey Lamptey is in a buoyant mood after the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal filed by his ex-wife regarding the ownership of a property at East Legon.
Odartey’s ex-wife, Gloria Appiah had appealed to the court to grant her ownership of the ex-Ghanaian international’s seven-bedroom house as compensation after their much-publicised split in 2013.
However, media reported that the court dismissed her case as all three judges who sat on it said she did not deserve the property, thereby ordering her to move out as soon as possible.
I felt unbearable pain after DNA test proved 3 kids were not mine – Odartey Lamptey
“My mother advised me not to marry her, I followed my ego and married her. She has really be a thorn in my flesh.”
I am ready to start life with my new wife and two kids – Odartey Lamptey added.
Court grants Odartey Lamptey divorce – rejects 50% split of his assets
In an interview with media after his latest ‘triumph’, Lamptey said he was excited after what he described as a difficult journey.
He also prayed that no fellow man should go through the challenges he had faced over the years. The woman that I married you, gave you shelter, take responsibility of everything in the house not known she was sleeping with other men to get pregnants and bring it to me. I took care of other men’s children over twenty years. Upon all these things you want half of my properties and court granted that I should give her half of my properties what kind of society is this! He lamented.
He added that he was waiting eagerly for Gloria to move out of his house.
Odartey Lamptey speaks after court orders ex-wife to move out of plush mansion.
The Ministry of communications has given the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)a 60-day ultimatum to reduce its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform from six to three.
However, complying with this directive from the Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, will mean GBC will have to lose 3 of these channels and subsequently reduce its operations by half.
In a letter sighted by Kasapafmonline.com, dated July, 07,2020 and addressed to the Chairman of the National Media Commission from GBC feared the directive could ultimately collapse the public sector broadcaster.
“It’s with these implications in mind that the Board of Directors has instructed me to communicate this to the National Media Commission and request your urgent intervention on behalf of GBC” the letter from the national broadcaster read in part.
