A member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) legal team, Ross Owusu, has urged President John Mahama to reconsider the appointment of Emelia Afi Agbenyo as Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), arguing that her alleged NDC affiliation could undermine confidence in the institution.
Owusu described the appointment as a mistake, saying the Electoral Commission’s role in Ghana’s elections requires public confidence in its independence and impartiality.
“The personality involved is a known functionary of the NDC, and appointing such a person to such a sensitive position in our democratic space is quite unfortunate,” he said on TV3’s Keypoints on October 17, 2026.
He argued that the President should have considered the implications of the appointment, particularly at a time when public confidence in the EC was reportedly low.
Owusu acknowledged that Mahama has the constitutional authority to appoint a deputy chairperson when a vacancy arises, and said Agbenyo’s professional qualifications were not in dispute.
However, he maintained that the decision should also have taken into account the public’s expectations and the need to protect the Commission’s credibility.
“The qualification of Madam Emelia Afi Agbenyo is not in question. The constitutional right of the President to appoint a deputy EC chair when the vacancy arrives is also not in question,” he said.
“But sometimes you must be guided by common sense in taking a decision like this.”
Owusu said the NPP wanted the President to take another look at the appointment to help restore confidence in the EC ahead of the 2028 general elections.
