EC to use professors as returning officers in 2016

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei says the EC would consider the use of lecturers and professors as returning officers in the 2016 general elections.

This has become necessary following some irregularities which occurred in the 2012 elections where some electoral officers appeared to be uninformed about their duties, thereby destroying the beauty of the elections.

Ghana’s West African neighbor, Nigeria adopted the use of professors in the country’s 2015 election held early this year, which has internationally been touted as credible, free and fair.

Former Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega at an IEA public lecture in Accra said the use of lecturers and professors as returning officers during elections secured the integrity of the electoral process.

“In the two elections that we conducted in 2011 and 2015 where they [lecturers and Professors] played these roles, not a single person had been accused of any fraudulent activities in the discharge of their responsibilities,” he said.

Addressing Members of Parliament Thursday about preparation towards next year's election, Ghana’s EC Chairman told the House Ghana is likely to follow the way of Nigeria.

Mrs. Charlotte Osei said the professors would be deployed to man coalition centres, whilst national service personnel and selected civil servants would be engaged for the polling stations.

But some Members of Parliament especially from the Minority side, Emmanuel said, are skeptical about the use of the national service personnel fearing they might be induced.

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