Counsel for some concerned staff of the Electoral Commission (EC), Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, says he is not prepared to back down on the impeachment process his clients have initiated against the Chairperson of the EC, Madam Charlotte Osei, despite threats from her lawyers.
Madam Charlotte Osei on Wednesday dared Mr. Opoku Agyemang and his clients who are demanding her removal from office by the President.
In a statement, her lawyer, Mr. Tadius Sory, challenged Mr. Opoku Agyemang, to furnish them with full details of the petitioners or face her in court for defamation of character.
A statement signed from Lawyer Opoku Agyemang’s law firm noted that a petition has been presented to the President to begin an impeachment process against Mrs. Osei.
Among a litany of accusations outlined in the petition addressed to President Akufo-Addo, the concerned staff said the EC Chairperson “single-handedly renegotiated the contract with the vendor without the involvement of the members of the Commission, not even the deputies. She then awarded the contract to the tune of $21,999,592 without going through tender contrary to the Public Procurement Act. The Chairperson then re-awarded these contracts without approval from the Commission”.
In response, however, Mrs. Osei said “Having observed from your letter by virtue of which the petition to the President conveyed; that your client is an amorphous group of people described as “concerned staff of the electoral commission”, our client has instructed us to demand from you, and we hereby so demand the full list of these “concerned staff of the electoral commission” to enable us commence legal action against them for the defamatory statement contained in their petition failure which our client will be constrained to proceed against you alone as defendant in the suit our client intends to commence against them since you are, to all intents and purposes, their agent.
“Our client’s decision to seek remedy in court for the protection of her reputation is without prejudice to article 106 proceeding triggered by you”.
But Mr. Opoku Agyemang in an interview with Accra-based Kasapa FM said he is not afraid of defamation charges having been in the game for some decades now.
“I can assure you that I, Opoku Agyemang, will follow this matter to where it should be. I will not shiver or be intimidated by whatsoever because I know what I am standing on and I believe in my clients. They will fight this matter but as for the end results, it is not me who will determine it but I will do my professional best to make sure that the matter is dealt with accordingly,” he said.
Nonetheless, he said Madam Charlotte Osei should stop her threats and prepare to face whatever Committee the President will set up to probe her.
I’ll ‘fight’ Charlotte Osei until she is sacked – Lawyer for concerned EC staff
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