Government Denies Pressuring Electoral Commission Deputy Chair Bossman Asare to Resign

The government has rejected allegations that it played any role in the resignation of Dr Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission responsible for Corporate Affairs, insisting that his departure was entirely voluntary.

Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister of State for Government Communications, told Citi FM on Sunday that Dr Asare wrote directly to President John Dramani Mahama of his own volition, communicating his desire to leave the electoral body at the appointed date.

“There is no basis for giving any assurance because nothing of that sort has happened. The process for removing a member of the Commission is clearly spelt out by law,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said. “Dr Bossman Asare himself, of his own volition, wrote to the President indicating his desire to leave at the appointed date, and that is what happened.”

The minister’s comments were aimed at quelling growing speculation that the government had engineered Asare’s departure from the Commission, an institution whose independence is considered sacrosanct under Ghana’s constitutional framework.

Under the 1992 Constitution, the removal of an Electoral Commission member follows a specific legal process, which includes grounds such as incompetence or misbehaviour. Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that no such constitutional removal process was triggered in Asare’s case, reinforcing the government’s position that the resignation was a lawful, routine personnel change.

The departure of Dr Asare comes at a time when the Electoral Commission is navigating a period of significant operational demands, including preparations for future electoral exercises. His role as Deputy Chairperson for Corporate Affairs placed him at the centre of the Commission’s public communications and stakeholder engagement efforts.

The government confirmed that consultations are already underway to identify a suitable successor, with Mr Kwakye Ofosu assuring the public that the appointment process will fully comply with all constitutional and statutory provisions governing Electoral Commission appointments.

The resignation adds to a series of recent changes at senior levels of Ghana’s governance institutions, a trend that has drawn both praise and scrutiny from political analysts and civil society groups monitoring the health of the country’s democratic institutions.

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