Ghana Is In A “Make-believe Democratic State” – Kofi Jumah

Former Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Mayor, Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, says he disagrees with calls for the immediate resignation of the Chairman for the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan. He rather prefers His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama and the Chief Justice, Madam Theodora Wood to fire him (Dr. Afari Gyan). The former NPP MP for Asokwa Constituency wants the president to instruct the Chief Justice to set up a tribunal of opinion leaders to decide on the fate of the EC boss. Speaking on Hot FM, the one-time Minister for Local Government said that the position of a EC Chairman is too vital to the country’s burgeoning democracy to be toyed with; stressing that Afari Gyan should not only be neutral in his role but must be seen as being neutral.

He bemoaned that though Afari Gyan has been the EC Chair for more than two decades, yet every election he supervised has resulted in either the New Patriotic Party (NPP) or the National Democratic Congress (NDC) complaining bitterly. “…there is nothing like perfection anywhere in the world, but frankly the conduct of Dr. Afari Gyan is one of gross incompetence in every elections, including the elections won by the NPP…If anybody should be praised for the peaceful atmosphere in the country, then it should be Ghanaians who have restrained themselves from the provocations derived from the poor conduct of elections,” he said. continued