Former Chief Justice of Ghana’s Supreme Court, Sophia Akuffo, has spoken out regarding the controversy surrounding the appointment of three new members to Ghana’s Electoral Commission.
On March 20, 2023, at the Jubilee House, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo swore in three new Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) members.
Members of the EC recently retired, and the three new members, Dr. Peter Appiahene, Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani, and Rev. Akua Ofori Boateng, have been appointed to serve until the end of the 2024 elections.
Some of the nominees are said to be well-known members of the New Patriotic Party, which has led to harsh criticism of Akufo-Addo’s decision.
The president has taken a lot of heat for his nominations of Dr. Peter Appiahene, who is said to be a patron of TESCON (the NPP’s higher education section), and Salima Ahmed Tijani, whose relatives are prominent NPP members.
Sophia Akuffo responded in an interview with TV3 on Wednesday, saying that any conflicts of interest should be taken into account when filling government positions. She stated that EC appointments should be made in a way that would benefit no one in particular.
“There are standards for the public service… and conflict of interest is something that always can be dealt with, whether it is written in black and white or not… and conflict of interest does not necessarily have to be actual; it can be potential.” she said.
“In doing the right thing in public service, a lot of it depends on public perception, and I think when it comes to something to do with national elections and so on, public perception is very important.
“Everything in this world that you can arrange in such a way that the dealings are at arm’s length is better than somebody’s arm is twisted and another person’s arm is in their pocket,” she added.
