The Minority in Parliament is demanding the Electoral Commissioner (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, be hauled to the House to respond to questions pertaining to the 2020 general elections.
According to the Minority, seven months to the election and yet there are loads of information circulating in the public domain about the EC’s activities that need to be clarified.
They insist Jean Mensa needs to be invited to the House to explain the roadmap to the election to Members of Parliament.
Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, made the request to Speaker on Friday 22nd May 2020 during presentation of next week’s business statement.
He said, “It has become very topical that people are attributing all sorts of things to the current Electoral Commission. Election in this country is a big issue.”
“I have been in this House when we brought Madam Charlotte Osei in a closed meeting and members of Parliament had opportunity to ask questions and elicit responses.”
“We are going into an election in a few months and we hear all sorts of things about what the EC is doing or not doing.”
“It is important the EC chair is brought to this House to update Members of Parliament exactly on what she or the Commission is doing to ensure free and fair elections in December.”
He added, “Anything short of this would have been an act of preventing MPs, the people’s representatives the opportunity to interact with the EC so we can report back to our constituents to prepare adequately for the elections.”
He pleaded with leadership of the House to prepare an invitation to the EC boss to appear before the House to enable members to elicit the needed information from her.
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu who has consistently advocated for Madam Jean Mensa to appear before the House since the beginning of the year supported the call.
Parliament, he said, needs to interrogate the budget of the EC, in addition to its procurement issues among other related matters.
“We need to get an understanding of what they intend to do to carry the country along while carrying its mandate under the constitution in preparation for the 2020 general elections,” he said.
Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in response, indicated he has communicated with the Commission and is awaiting their response, and when that is made available the Business Committee will find space for the chairperson of the Commission to address the House.
