Election Watch Ghana: EC Leadership Still Unfit Despite Chief Justice Ruling

Election Watch Ghana has expressed disappointment over the decision by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who ruled that no prima facie case was established in the petitions filed against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, and her deputies.

The reaction follows the submission of about seven petitions to President John Dramani Mahama seeking the removal of Jean Mensa and her deputies, Dr Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey, as commissioners of the EC. In line with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 15 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, the President forwarded the petitions to the Chief Justice to trigger the constitutional process.

In a letter dated January 26, 2026, the Chief Justice informed the President that the petitions had failed to establish a prima facie case to justify further investigations or removal proceedings against the Electoral Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioners, or the Special Prosecutor.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Election Watch Ghana said the decision does not exonerate the EC Chairperson and her deputies from what it described as longstanding concerns about transparency and accountability in the conduct of elections.

The group argued that the absence of judicial action suggests that institutional stability may have been prioritised over electoral integrity. It warned that such an approach could strengthen public confidence in the Judiciary while leaving unresolved what it termed the EC’s “glaring shortcomings.”

Election Watch Ghana maintained that the alleged flaws of the Commission are already in the public domain and insisted that the petitions raised legitimate concerns about the electoral process.

The organisation reiterated its position that the current leadership of the EC is “biased, incompetent, and lacks transparency and accountability, rendering it unfit for office.”

While acknowledging that the petitioners may not have presented a sufficiently strong legal case, the group stressed that this does not invalidate the concerns raised.

Election Watch Ghana renewed its call for comprehensive electoral reforms and a more transparent and accountable Electoral Commission, declaring that “the fight for fair elections continues.”