When a man carves a niche of distinction in any particular field, he, unarguably, deserves the praise. Such is the story of the legendary Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, whose protracted but dedicated service to the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will not be erased from the history books. Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan was born on June 18th, 1945, in a small town in the then Brong Ahafo Region. For his secondary education, he was schooled at Achimota School and Adisadel College. He bagged his first degree in Philosophy in 1967 from the University of Ghana and an MA in African Politics from the same university two years afterwards. Afari-Gyan then proceeded to claim a PhD in Political Science from the prestigious University of California, Santa Barbara, at a young age of 29years. He returned to Ghana to work as a lecturer at the University of Ghana after completion.

His remarkable prowess got him appointed to a committee of experts that played an instrumental role in crafting the current constitution of Ghana. For same reason, he was appointed Deputy Chairperson of a provisional Electoral Commission established in 1992 to facilitate the first election of the 4th Republic of Ghana. He led a free and fair electoral process that saw the election of Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, then a military ruler, as the first president of the 4th Republic. Dr. Afari-Gyan was soon endorsed as the first Chairman of the newly created Electoral Commission of Ghana.

Dr. Afari-Gyan served in the capacity of EC Chairman for 23 years(retiring in 2015), the longest any Ghanaian has ever served in that office. His long stretch of service spanning through different political regimes supervised a series of transparent presidential and parliamentary elections that awarded him the national and international fame he enjoys today. He did face some hitches, such as the accusations of rigging the 2004 presidential elections that saw the National Democratic Congress, NDC, drag the EC to court on that grounds. But the most infamous discredit to his almost impeccable tenure of office was the 2012 elections petition in which the New Patriotic Party, NPP, dragged the EC through a strenuous 8-month court process challenging the transparency of the 2012 elections results. He eventually won the case, cementing his record as the most transparent EC boss the country has ever had. He retired from service in 2015, less than 3 years after the election petition that gave him the "pink sheets" tag. His retirement however seems to be the beginning of the woes of the EC.

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan was replaced by lawyer Charlotte Osei, former boss of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), soon after his retirement. Coming as the first female EC Chair at a relatively younger age and with an impeccable tract record as a lawyer, Charlotte was expected to at least maintain the standard set by her predecessor. Unfortunately her tenure of office was prematurely terminated as she was fired in 2018, after less than 3 years of service, on grounds of corruption and financial malfeasance. Her removal from office, which was challenged by some two personalities but to no avail, left a big scar of mistrust on the office of the EC. She was succeeded by Mrs. Jean Mensa.

Like Charlotte Osei, Jean Mensa is a renowned lawyer, a product of the University of Ghana Faculty of Law, who also claims a great tract record of legal experience. Before her appointment as EC Boss, Jean Mensa was the Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), where she worked for 18 years. Much like Charlotte Osei, the less than 2-years tenure of office of Jean Mensa has already been marred with a lot of disappointments and public outcry of disgust; chiefly and currently among which is the new voters' register brouhaha. Jean Mensa's decision to continue the voters registration despite the spiking cases of the coronavirus hasn't gone down well with many Ghanaians.

Having already lost the love and support of the good people of Ghana in something less than 2years in office, how long will Jean Mensa remain in office as EC Boss? Until that blissful magical moment or that Godsent rebirth of Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan resurfaces, the Electoral Commission of Ghana may just be on the ride down the drain of mismanagement, corruption, incompetence and routine change of leadership as different political parties assume office

Source: opera.com