Anti-corruption campaigner Vitus Azeem has cautioned against appointing individuals with political affiliations to positions in independent state institutions.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has particularly raised concerns about the appointment of Emelia Afi Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), alleging that she is affiliated with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking to Citi News, Mr Azeem said such appointments risk perpetuating a cycle of partisan appointments whenever power changes hands.
“We are progressing 70 years after independence and we should not be doing the very things that we did yesterday. We should be developing a democracy and so if you have some party affiliation, whether you have ever held a position in the party as executive or not, if you are known to have party affiliation and appeared on a party platform to campaign, then definitely your independence can be compromised.
“Sometimes, you have to take some decisions and even though you take that decision honestly without being influenced by your party affiliation, it can be perceived as having been influenced by your party and so we need people whose actions will not be blamed on any party’s affiliations.”
Mr Azeem also rejected arguments that appointing individuals associated with the governing party could help balance the composition of the Electoral Commission.
