I read with shock and trembling the defence put up yesterday by the Founding President of the so-called policy think tank, IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, saying the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei, is being “unnecessarily persecuted” due to her resolve to clean “the rot” at the election management body.

Woow, I think this disposition of Franklin regarding the recent revelations and the happenings at the EC is dreadfully shocking and I believe no rightful thinking Ghanaian would have expected such defence from the owner and President of IMANI, Franklin Cudjoe.

To be honest, what good sense does it make at-all reading from Franklin Cudjoe argue that, “It is not even constitutionally sensible to be saying Charlotte Osei [EC boss] should step down"? Per his argument, then what is the essence of keeping the Constitution of Ghana as an instrument to guide us in governing the country, to be able to remove or impeach the people we put in responsible positions if applying the same would be bastardised as not sensible to apply the constitution? What sort of logic is this, coming from the well acclaimed president of a policy think tank, IMANI Ghana?

The question is, who is persecuting Charlotte Osei, and since when has she been persecuted as Franklin Cudjoe avers, wanting Ghanaians to believe so? How long has Charlotte been the EC boss and when has she demonstrated any sign to clean these known rots at the EC? How did all these infightings, the allegations and counter-accusations start? Is she been antagonised by the ruling party I guess, as Franklin Cudjoe may want Ghanaians to conclude?

The rational Ghanaians are looking at her performance from the time she became the EC boss, through to her intractable attitude towards the Supreme Court rulings, the display of gross incompetence and her overt arrogance posturing towards the political parties, Civil organisations and Christian Council of Ghana as seen throughout 2016, leading to the general elections, and up to her recent display in answering questions at the Parliament, where she artlessly disassociated herself from the institution of Electoral Commission she heads, claiming she was "speaking for herself".

From open point of view, Franklin Cudjoe is intentionally being oblivious to the facts of the total mismanagements at the EC or probably, he's just displaying his latent love for Charlotte, making him hold such weird strong view that Mrs Charlotte Osei “is being unnecessarily antagonised". In fact, she's being antagonised by whom?

As Franklin argues that “there was a lot of rot at the EC already and she went to meet the rots and she is cleaning the rots, allow her to clean the rot”, I think it would have been wiser to hear Franklin Cudjoe point to, at least, a single rot that Charlotte has demonstrated cleaning at the EC since she became the boss.

On 30th October 2015, the same Franklin Cudjoe's so-called policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, took a shocking questionable position against all the calls by Ghanaians demanding a register to replace the undoubtedly bloated register used for 2016 elections. At the said Stakeholders Forum, IMANI Ghana out rightly rejected the calls for a new voters’ register, insisting that cleaning the register would be more expedient and less costly. This pronouncements by Franklin Cudjoe's IMANI Ghana, further emboldened the NDC and the EC to rubbish all calls and suggestions from the eminent Ghanaians, including the call by Former President Kufour, Former First Lady Nana Kunadu Agyemang Rawlings, the Clergymen, the Imams and what have you.

Until today, maybe Franklin Cudjoe is yet to tell Ghanaians of a single tangible footprint of actions taken by the EC to clean the bloated register, rather than the imaginary action forced on the EC by the Supreme Court on the NHIS card registrants.

You see, this utterly illogical and absurd support of Franklin Cudjoe's for Charlotte Osei has given Charlotte false confidence in her intransigent behaviour as EC boss and today, we are all bearing witnessing to the mess at the EC.

I repeat that, the stakes are extremely high now, the spirit of Ghanaian youth today, will not countenance anyone who tries to cover up for, and hide behind playing-smart, and clandestinely defend and protect the corrupt and unscrupulous individuals anymore. For we believe Ghana must work again, the corruptions and corrupt practices must be subdued in Ghana.

Charlotte Osei, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku-Amankwa positions are untenable, they must all go, for sanity, confidence and integrity to prevail at the EC.

By Peter Antwi Boasiako

London