A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), political analyst and academic, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has called for the immediate resignation or removal of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, and her two deputies—Dr. Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey—over what he describes as a catastrophic loss of credibility.
Dr. Zaato accused the EC of bowing to political pressure in its controversial decision to conduct a rerun of parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency.
Speaking on The Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, July 5, he said, “There must be a change at the top of the EC hierarchy. Jean Mensa, Bosman Asare, and Samuel Tettey must all go,” Dr. Zaato declared.
Also Read: EC accused of bowing to NDC pressure in Ablekuma North election rerun decision
According to him, the damage they have done to the Commission by agreeing to rerun the election in certain polling stations is irreparable.
Dr. Zaato, disturbed by the EC’s reversal of its earlier position, insisted the Commission had consistently claimed it possessed all the results and needed only police security to declare a winner.
He explained, “The EC had been consistent all along. They kept saying, ‘We have the numbers, we have everything to declare the results. All we need is the police to provide security.’ That was their stated position in court and in Parliament.”
However, the EC issued a statement on July 1, indicating it would rerun the election in 19 polling stations. The Commission cited the inability to verify results from some stations as the basis for its change in course, following meetings with representatives of both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dr. Zaato, however, described the EC’s justification as weak and questioned its timing, especially after a Deputy Commissioner had gone to Parliament and confidently declared that only three polling stations were under contention.
“So did the EC lie to Parliament?” he asked. “If not, what changed within a matter of days? Because clearly, someone blinked.”
He blamed the U-turn on political intimidation, citing a recent public threat issued by NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who reportedly vowed to remove the EC Chair and her deputies.
Dr. Zaato said, “I believe that something massive shifted the EC’s stance and that something was when the NDC Chairman openly threatened to remove the EC Chair and her two deputies. That is the only new variable.”
In his view, the EC’s latest action does not shield its leadership from political consequences and instead confirms allegations of compromised neutrality.
“They are sacrificing the credibility of the Electoral Commission just to save their jobs. But it is too late. If you aimed to stay in office by caving in, you’ve failed—because your credibility is gone.”
Calls for the removal of Jean Mensa started after the 2020 general elections, when the Commission announced three different sets of results of the presidential elections, and since the 2024 elections, the calls have grown louder.
NDC Chairman Asiedu Nketiah was unequivocal in a recent interview, declaring that the top three commissioners of the Electoral Commission must be removed as part of a complete overhaul of the institution.