A civil society organisation calling itself Positive Transparency and Accountability Movement Africa (PTAAM Africa) is putting pressure on President John Dramani Mahama to take action on a petition seeking the removal of Jean Mensa and deputies.
According to the civil society organisation, they have petitioned John Mahama to remove Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Jean Mensa and her deputies, Eric Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey.
They revealed the petition was submitted on January 8, 2025, a day after President John Mahama assumed office.
PTAAM Africa is accusing the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission of causing financial loss to the state, creating a constitutional crisis, and engaging in mismanagement and abuse of funds.
PTAAM Africa’s Vice President, Rashid Isah, has expressed frustration over the lack of response from the Presidency despite sending follow-up reminders in April.
Speaking on Joy FM on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Rashid Isah stated, “As a matter of fact, we’ve not had any clear communication on what action the President intends to take on our petition. We have sent reminders, and we are prepared to follow up if nothing is done”.
“While we recognise that the new administration may need time to settle, our patience is wearing thin. We are keeping our fingers crossed, but we have also taken note of certain actions by this government that appear to be geared towards the same goal. As a team, we will soon decide on our next line of action,” Isah noted.
Rashid Isah cited the EC’s decision to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 elections, which cost over US$80 million, as an example of mismanagement and also referenced incidents of electoral violence and the disenfranchisement of an entire constituency in 2020 as evidence of a constitutional crisis.
Meanwhile, Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah, a former United Nations Senior Governance Adviser, has revealed that Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, and her two deputies, Dr Eric Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey, are next in line to be removed from office.
According to Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah, the process for the removal of Jean Mensa and her deputies has already been initiated.
He highlighted that a petition has already been sent to President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking on JOYNEWS AM Show on Wednesday, September 3, Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah stated, “In fact, yesterday [Tuesday], we were told that the NDC has not finished yet in terms of the people they intend to remove, and I guess it will be the Electoral Commissioners. I think a petition has already been sent to the President,” he revealed.
Prof Agyeman-Duah also stressed that the development surrounding the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is a worrying trend of political interference in independent state institutions.
“You don’t have to politicise certain key institutions of governance so the people can continuously have trust and believe in the role that they play in a democracy,” he warned.
In the run-up to the 2024 election, there were growing concerns about the fairness of the Jean Mensa Electoral Commission.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), in particular, has been vocal about its dissatisfaction with the Commission’s handling of the recent elections.
The EC top officials are made up of Jean Mensa (Chairperson), Samuel Tettey (Deputy Chairman for Operations), Dr Bossman Eric Asare (Deputy Chairman for Corporate Services), Adwoa Asuama Abrefa (Commissioner), Salima Ahmed Tijani, Dr Peter Appiahene, and Rev Akua Ofori Boateng.
The NDC National Chairman, Asiedu Nketia, has already appeared to be setting the tone for the future sacking of the Electoral Commission boss despite the NDC victory.
He revealed that even before the NDC came to power, he was calling for a reset in the judiciary and the Electoral Commission, and he still stands by his calls.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah declared that Electoral Commission Chairperson Jean Mensa and other top officials must all be sacked.
Asiedu Nketia asserted that the fact that the NDC won the 2024 elections does not turn the Electoral Commission chairperson, Madam Jean Mensa, into an angel.
Speaking in an interview on Radio Gold, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah stated, “Before we came to power, I called for a reset of our various institutions, the judiciary, the Electoral Commission, and the Auditor General, and I termed it an institutional reset.
“I still stand by my comments because I raised these concerns first. Why should I change my mind just because we have won an election and the EC is now seen as an angel? For me, those at the top it not just one person, he stated.
In a separate interview, Asiedu Nketia also stated that the NDC had to dine with the devil in the 2024 elections regarding the party’s dealings with the Electoral Commission.
According to Asiedu Nketia, the NDC used a long spoon to beat the Jean Mensa-led EC in the 2024 election when they dined together.
The NDC chairman likened Madam Jean Mensa-led EC to the devil.
Asiedu Nketia is quoted by JOY NEWS as having stated, “We had to dine with the devil in 2024 -we used a long spoon to beat the EC”.