Immediate past Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has said she will refrain from commenting on her removal from office in the meantime.
This is because of the passing of the former Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.
“With the heartbreaking news of the sudden demise of our former Vice-President, H.E. Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, I will at this time, withhold my response to the President’s decision, while we commiserate with his family and pray for the peaceful repose of his soul,” Mrs. Osei said in a statement.
She added that, “in due time there will be ample opportunity to fully address these matters once and for all.”
Mrs. Osei was found to have breached procurement laws in the award of several contracts in her three-year heading the EC.
This led to her, along with her two deputies, being removed from the commission.
The report of a committee set up by the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, to probe the commission heads after several petitions, recommended their removal from office.
Charlotte Osei was investigated over six separate allegations of various procurement breaches, for which a prima facie case was established.
But the former EC Boss maintains that she has had to withstand plots and lies against her.
“Despite all the attacks, the character assassinations, the falsehoods, the curses, and the relentless plots and threats against my family and I over the past three years of my service as the Chair of the Electoral Commission, I chose to remain silent and focused on delivering on my constitutional mandate to the best of my ability,” she said.
Find below Charlotte Osei’s full statement
I have been truly overwhelmed by the hundreds of calls, prayers and messages from all over the country and the international community, expressing shock and disappointment at the recommendation by the Committee (set up by the Chief Justice) to the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remove me from office as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission. I wish to acknowledge all the concerns and to express my deep appreciation to all of you for the show of support.
With the heartbreaking news of the sudden demise of our former Vice-President, H.E. Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, I will at this time, withhold my response to the President’s decision, while we commiserate with his family and pray for the peaceful repose of his soul.
At this sad time as a country, we are unified in our grief, respect and appreciation for this great man of our land and someone I had deep respect and admiration for.
Despite all the attacks, the character assassinations, the falsehoods, the curses, and the relentless plots and threats against my family and I over the past three years of my service as the Chair of the Electoral Commission, I chose to remain silent and focused on delivering on my constitutional mandate to the best of my ability.
Indeed, the records show that I presided over the 2015 district assembly election and the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections to the best of my ability. I prefer to leave the standard and quality of those elections for Ghanaians, history and posterity to judge.
I still consider it a great honour and privilege to have been given the opportunity to serve my nation at very high levels during my period in public service. I still hold the view and belief that our country deserves an Electoral Commission that is truly independent, unbiased, free, fair and firm, and can fight-off all attempts to politically capture, manipulate, influence and control it. This was always my cardinal objective and my approach to my work.
In due time there will be ample opportunity to fully address these matters once and for all.
Thank you.
God bless us all.
Signed
Charlotte Osei (Mrs.)
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Source:Citinewsroom.com/Ghana
