The Staff Union of the Electoral Commission (EC) has petitioned the Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Mensa, over what it describes as a prolonged breakdown in corporate governance, unilateral decision-making, alleged irregularities in recruitment, and plans to dispose of the Commission’s operational assets without due process.

In a four-page petition dated July 1, 2026, and signed by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission Divisional Union of the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU) of the TUC, Richard Agorkor, the Staff Union accused the Chairperson of centralizing the administration of the Commission and sidelining the constitutional decision-making structures established under the 1992 Constitution.

The latest development comes at a time when the Electoral Commission has been under heightened public scrutiny following the conduct of the 2024 General Election and subsequent debates over electoral reforms, institutional independence and internal management.

Although the Commission has consistently maintained that it operates within the law, concerns over governance and transparency have occasionally surfaced from political stakeholders and civil society organizations.
The Staff Union’s petition, however, marks one of the strongest internal criticisms directed at the Commission’s leadership.

According to the petition, the Union believes that since assuming office, Jean Mensa has increasingly centralized administrative authority within her office to the exclusion of other Commissioners, contrary to the constitutional framework that requires collective governance of the Commission by its seven members.

The Union argued that the Constitution envisages collective decision-making and not unilateral administration by the Chairperson.The petition further alleged that for nearly three years no formal meeting of the Commission has been convened to deliberate on major policy and administrative decisions.

As a result, the Union claimed that several significant decisions which ought to have been collectively approved have instead been undertaken unilaterally without deliberation by the full Commission.

The Staff Union also raised concerns over what it described as the withdrawal of official vehicles assigned to members of the Commission without publicly known justification.

It further alleged that administrative and operational authority has become so centralized that in the absence of the Chairperson, neither the Deputy Chairpersons nor other senior officials are able to approve payments or authorize programmes, a situation the Union says has adversely affected operational efficiency.

Another major concern outlined in the petition relates to the Commission’s continued reliance on external consultants to manage key operational departments such as Finance, Information Technology and Procurement.

The Union argued that these departments traditionally fall within the responsibilities of permanent officers of the Commission and warned that prolonged dependence on consultants raises concerns about institutional capacity, succession planning and accountability.

The petition also questioned the ongoing recruitment process for the position of Director of Finance. According to the Union, an earlier request submitted to the Public Procurement Authority to renew the contracts of consultants was reportedly declined in May 2026.

Despite this, the Chairperson allegedly proceeded with steps to recruit a preferred candidate for the vacant Director of Finance position, which has remained vacant for approximately eight years. The Union noted that the vacancy was advertised on June 10, 2026, with applications closing on June 25, 2026.

The Union further alleged that the eligibility criteria for the recruitment may have been crafted to favour a particular individual identified as Henry George Ashong, whom it described as a close associate of the Chairperson.

It also claimed that discrepancies had been identified between the candidate’s recorded date of birth in Commission records and his SSNIT records.

While making no definitive finding on the allegation, the Staff Union called for an independent review to protect transparency and public confidence in the recruitment process.Beyond recruitment, the Union expressed alarm over what it described as an ongoing process to dispose of the Commission’s operational assets, including official vehicles, trucks, staff buses and other equipment.

According to the petition, the proposed disposal is taking place without a clear replacement plan, raising concerns that the Commission’s operational readiness could be undermined and its constitutional mandate affected.

The Staff Union maintained that the issues raised extend beyond ordinary administrative disagreements and touch directly on the constitutional governance of one of the most important democratic institutions. It argued that public confidence in the Electoral Commission depends not only on the conduct of credible elections but also on transparent, accountable and lawful internal governance.

Consequently, the Union has called on the Chairperson to immediately suspend the ongoing recruitment process for the Director of Finance pending approval by a duly constituted Commission meeting. It has also demanded the suspension of the proposed disposal of the Commission’s operational assets until a comprehensive replacement strategy is approved.

Additionally, the Staff Union is requesting the restoration of regular Commission meetings, the return to collective decision-making on major administrative and financial matters, decentralization of administrative authority to the Deputy Chairpersons and other authorized officers, prioritization of qualified permanent staff over consultants in managing core departments, and a renewed commitment to transparency, accountability and good corporate governance within the Electoral Commission.

The petition concludes by affirming the Staff Union’s commitment to working constructively with management and the Commission to preserve the independence, credibility and institutional integrity of the Electoral Commission while urging the Chairperson to take immediate remedial measures in the best interest of the institution and the Republic of Ghana.