Former Electoral Commission (EC) boss, Charlotte Osei, has revealed that she received multiple death threats during her time in office.
Speaking on Joy FM, she shared how the role unexpectedly put her family’s safety at risk.
“There were threats through the mail, and sometimes the security agencies would call to warn me to be careful,” she disclosed in Thursday’s interview.
Mrs Osei explained that the situation was particularly difficult for her young children, who were subjected to abuse at school due to the hostile political climate.
Despite being someone who doesn’t allow fear to dominate her life, Mrs Osei admitted she questioned whether the job was worth putting her family in harm’s way.
“My family was very supportive and recognised that it was just for a season. All storms run out of water at some point, so everyone encouraged me to stay strong and see how things would unfold after the elections,” she said.
Charlotte Osei also recounted how she entered the role with no preconceived notions but was taken aback by the unexpected challenges.
“There were some things I expected, but it was worse than we anticipated. The sheer pettiness and creative fiction were quite surprising,” she noted.
Addressing rumours about her political affiliations, she clarified that while scrutiny was expected, the extent of fabrications was shocking.
“I woke up to posters claiming I had contested for an election in Evalue Gwira, which I never did and never intended to,” she said.
To succeed in such a demanding position, the former EC boss stressed the importance of focus and resilience.
“You need to block out a lot of things. Those who worked closely with me knew not to send certain things my way so that I could concentrate on doing the job right. It’s about following the law,” she stated.
“Insults will be plenty, but you learn not to take things personally. Clean hands and a clean heart—focus on doing your job,” she stated.
Charlotte Osei said she does not have any regrets about serving as EC boss.
“I cannot say I regret it, it was an absolute honour to serve and I did it to the best of my ability and I am proud of the work we did.”
Source: Myjoyonline.com