Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has defended the constitutional validity of Emelia Afi Agbenyo’s appointment as Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), while insisting that concerns about the perception of political bias remain legitimate.
Ablakwa said President John Dramani Mahama had not acted unconstitutionally by appointing Agbenyo, but argued that the process had raised questions about the independence expected of an electoral management body.
Ablakwa said he stood by his earlier criticism of similar appointments when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in opposition.
“Yes, constitutionally, the President has not acted unconstitutionally, but the optics don’t look good,” he said on Joy News.
He likened the situation to a football match in which one team appears to have influence over the choice of referee, arguing that the appearance of partiality could undermine confidence in the contest.
“The ideal situation, let’s be honest, when you are going into a football match is to have an independent referee, an independent umpire,” he said.
“You don’t want one of the teams choosing the referee who is clearly… a known supporter. It doesn’t look good. The optics don’t look good.”
Ablakwa also criticised what he described as double standards among political actors who had defended similar appointments in the past but were now condemning them.
He said those who had consistently questioned the practice deserved credit for maintaining their position across changes in government.
“If it was wrong yesterday, it was not the best yesterday, it cannot be excellent today,” he said.
