CODEO calls for resignation of newly appointed EC Board members

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has called for the immediate resignation of Dr Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani from the Electoral Commission.

Dr Appiahene and Ahmed Tijani were appointed by President Akufo-Addo to the board of the Electoral Commission in March 2023.

The appointment of the two has courted controversy over their political affiliation with the ruling NPP.

NDC Member of Parliament for Buem, Kofi Adams in an earlier interview with Citi News alleged that Dr Appiahene is an NPP activist who was a patron of the Tertiary Education Student Confederacy Network (TESCON) – a university wing of the NPP.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, a leading member of CODEO, Rev. Dr Fred Degbey called for Dr Appiahene and Hajia Salima Tijani to resign to protect the cross-party trust in the commission.

“We are painfully aware that voluntary and constitutionally grounded revocation of these unfortunate and democratically problematic EC appointments by the President is extremely unlikely. However, nothing stops the affected appointees, namely Dr Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Tijani from voluntarily and honourably resigning from the EC.

“This will be in the supreme interest of our country’s continued democratic progress, election peace and credibility and indeed overall national interest.”

The appointments were in line with Article 43 (1 and 2) of the 1992 constitution which states that “there shall be an Electoral Commission which shall consist of a Chairman, two Deputy Chairmen, and four other members.”

The Electoral Commission is one of the governance institutions provided under the 1992 constitution.

It was established by the Electoral Commission Act (Act 451) of 1992 and set up purposely to manage the conduct of all public elections and Referenda, to handle all matters directly related to the conduct of elections in the country.