CODEO urges Mahama to seek EC deputy’s resignation over NDC campaign role

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has urged President John Dramani Mahama to ask Electoral Commission Deputy Chairperson Emelia Affi Agbenyo to resign, citing her reported involvement in the National Democratic Congress’s 2024 election campaign.

In a statement dated October 15, the coalition said the appointment risked undermining public confidence in the commission’s impartiality. It also called directly on Agbenyo to step down following her appointment and swearing-in on October 12.

CODEO said Mahama should apply the same standards he advocated in opposition, when he criticised the appointment of people he described as party activists to the commission and called for changes to the appointment process.

“The principles he advocated in 2023 must be applied consistently while in government,” the coalition said.

“The credibility of electoral institutions demands that the same standards be upheld regardless of which political party holds power.”

The coalition said its objection concerned perceived political partiality, rather than Agbenyo’s professional qualifications or technical competence.

Its statement does not establish that she has acted improperly in her new role.

CODEO cited what it described as publicly documented evidence of Agbenyo’s participation in the NDC campaign, including her reported selection as a spokesperson on governance for the party’s 2024 manifesto.

The coalition said her LinkedIn profile also listed that campaign role among her achievements.

It further cited Facebook and X posts published between September and December 2024 which, according to its account, promoted Mahama’s candidacy and urged a change of government.

The coalition argued that confidence in the commission depended both on its members’ actual neutrality and on the public’s belief that they would act impartially.

It pointed to its previous objections to EC appointments, including its 2023 call, alongside STAR-Ghana Foundation and the Civic Forum Initiative, for Peter Appiahene to resign over concerns about his alleged affiliation with the New Patriotic Party.

CODEO said the NDC had also condemned that appointment and that Mahama, then in opposition, had advocated parliamentary approval of new commissioners.

Beyond Agbenyo’s appointment, the coalition called for wider changes to how the commission’s leadership is selected.

It urged the government to introduce transparent selection criteria, independent scrutiny and meaningful parliamentary oversight, saying these safeguards could address concerns about political influence before appointments were made.

CODEO also criticised the Council of State over what it described as a lack of transparency in its handling of EC appointments. It called on the council to make information about how it performs that responsibility accessible to citizens.

According to the coalition, the Constitutional Review Committee recommended an open, competitive and merit-based selection process involving a reformed Council of State, the Public Services Commission and prior parliamentary approval.

CODEO said the government’s position paper rejected changes to the existing appointment arrangement while indicating that the president could adopt transparent, merit-based procedures.

It urged the government to reconsider that position, arguing that public confidence in the commission required consistent standards regardless of which party held power.