The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) will on Sunday July 1, 2018 hold a thanksgiving service to express their gratitude to God following the removal of Mrs Charlotte Osei as the Electoral Commissioner.
Policy advisor for the party, Kofi Asamoah Siaw told Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM that, the PPP believes her dismissal and that of the two other deputies, was great and welcoming news.
Mrs Osei he indicated exhibited incompetence and her misbehavior was extremely bad for her to hold herself as the EC boss.
LISTEN: AUDIO: I planned to pour hot water on NDC protestors – Abronye DC
The party he revealed will petition the CID, EOCO and other relevant bodies to investigate Mrs Charlotte Osei over claims of breach of the procurement law in the award of contracts under her watch.
President Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday removed the EC boss and two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa after it was established that they have misconducted themselves.
Portions of the statement revealed that of the main charges against her, which she could not defend herself on, was that on 21st August 2015 she awarded a contract to STL, costing the taxpayer $22.34 million without telling anyone at the Commission and without going through the procurement process.
Another allegation was that she was authorized to spend just $7.5 million on contracts for the construction of prefab offices in 2016 and yet she gave out contracts more than twice as much at $14.34m.
READ: Amissah-Arthur’s death shocking- Mahama
Her response was that this bad contract was also endorsed by her deputies so she did nothing wrong.
Charlotte Osei paid $32,510 of EC money to a company which had no contract with the EC. That company is Dream Oval LTD. As if that was not enough. She went on to pay another $76,000 to the same company when it had no contract with the EC.
In her Defence she said that money was a grant from USAID and therefore not public funds. The EC Chairperson, in another charge, was approved by the Public Procurement Authority to spend GHS98,000 for some consultancy work. After the approval she went her merry way to spend GHS209,000.
In her Defence, Lawyer Charlotte Osei said she thought there was no law which required her to go back to the PPA to spend above the limit approved by PPA. Reacting to the issues, Kofi Asamoah Siaw said the EC boss must be prosecuted for causing financial loss to the state.
The PPP officer said the disqualification of the party on the frivolous allegations of forgery was an action that painted the EC boss, as a woman of integrity but the revelations coming out from the committee’s report, has exposed her incompetence and that calls for severe punishment.
READ: Amissah-Arthur’s death shocking – Akufo-Addo
“How can a lawyer of her caliber claim she was unaware of the procurement laws? We expected the EC boss to have worked in a competent manner but she has failed the competency test.’’
“God willing, we will be organizing a thanksgiving service on Sunday to give glory to God for the removal of the EC boss. God has answered our prayers. This is what we were expecting and so we are extremely grateful to God’’
The party is yet to announce the venue for the thanksgiving service, Asamoah Siaw indicated.