EC appointments don’t guarantee electoral victory – Callistus Mahama

Executive Secretary to President John Dramani Mahama, Callistus Mahama, has argued that appointing the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) does not guarantee electoral victory for the appointing President or governing party, urging Ghanaians to recognise the decisive role voters play in determining election outcomes. In a commentary on Ghana’s electoral discourse , Mr Mahama said public discussions about EC appointments sometimes appear to undermine confidence in voters’ ability to make independent political choices. “We celebrate the Ghanaian voter as discerning, independent-minded and capable of changing governments. Yet whenever appointments to the Electoral Commission arise, we sometimes speak as though the outcome of the next election has already been negotiated,” he wrote. Mr Mahama cited the 2016 and 2024 general elections as examples of why the political identity of an EC Chairperson should not be treated as a guarantee of victory for the appointing government. In 2015, then-President John Dramani Mahama appointed Charlotte Osei as EC Chairperson. A year later, the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the presidential election to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. In 2018, President Akufo-Addo appointed Jean Mensa as EC Chairperson. In the December 2024 elections, the NPP lost power, while John Dramani Mahama won the presidential election and returned to office. “These events should temper the certainty with which some claims about electoral appointments are made,” Mr Mahama wrote. He cautioned, however, that the examples did not establish that electoral administration was free from errors or misconduct, nor did they resolve every concern about individual commissioners. “What they establish is more precise: appointing the chairperson of the Electoral Commission does not guarantee victory for the appointing President or governing party,” he stated. Mr Mahama said explanations of election results that focus almost exclusively on EC appointments risk overlooking the circumstances and considerations that shape voters’ decisions. He pointed to issues such as household incomes, employment opportunities, agricultural production costs, road infrastructure and access to markets as factors that influence citizens’ political choices. “When we explain elections almost entirely through appointments to the Commission, we overlook ordinary people’s political agency. We risk treating citizens as spectators in an exercise whose outcome is supposedly arranged elsewhere,” he wrote. He argued that voters’ experiences and assessments of government performance must remain central to discussions about electoral outcomes. Mr Mahama also stressed that presidential appointments to the EC should not be interpreted as giving the appointing authority control over the Commission’s decisions. He noted that the President appoints members of the Commission on the advice of the Council of State, but said the authority conferred by public office comes with obligations that must be discharged independently. “An appointment confers responsibility, not ownership. A commissioner’s authority comes with obligations defined by public office. The person who makes the appointment does not acquire a claim over how those obligations will be discharged,” he stated. He said the principle applied more broadly to constitutional appointments, arguing that public officials should not be expected to serve the political interests of those who appointed them. Despite his argument that appointments do not guarantee electoral victory, Mr Mahama said scrutiny of the EC and its commissioners remained necessary. He called for impartial electoral administration and improvements in voter registration, polling, collation and dispute resolution. He also urged political actors to support allegations of wrongdoing with evidence and pursue reforms where weaknesses in the electoral process had been demonstrated. “The appointment puts the commissioner in office. The ballot puts the government in office,” he wrote. Mr Mahama’s commentary comes amid debate over the appointment of Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah and Emelia Afi Agbenyo as Deputy Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission. The NPP has raised concerns about Madam Agbenyo’s perceived affiliation with the governing NDC and called for her withdrawal. The controversy has renewed debate about the political neutrality of electoral officials and the independence of the Commission. Mr Mahama’s position is that while electoral appointments deserve scrutiny, they should not overshadow the role of voters in determining which party forms the government.