President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed multiple petitions seeking the removal of the Electoral Commission Chairperson, her deputies and the Special Prosecutor, following a determination by the Chief Justice that no prima facie case exists to warrant further action.
The decision was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday, February 18, by the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
According to the statement, ten separate petitions were submitted to Jubilee House in late 2025 under the constitutional removal process outlined in Article 146 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
Seven of the petitions targeted Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, along with her two deputies, Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey. The remaining three petitions sought the removal of Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor at the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
In accordance with constitutional requirements, the petitions were referred to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for preliminary scrutiny to determine whether a prima facie case had been established.
Petitioners alleged misconduct including cronyism, abuse of office and gross incompetence, claiming such actions had undermined public confidence in the affected institutions. One of the petitions against the EC leadership was filed by Joseph Blankson Adumadzie, who reportedly raised concerns about administrative integrity. However, the specific details remain constitutionally protected due to confidentiality provisions governing removal proceedings.
After reviewing the submissions, the Chief Justice concluded that the petitions failed to meet the constitutional threshold required to establish a prima facie case. Under Article 146, such a finding is necessary before a five-member tribunal can be constituted to investigate allegations of stated misbehaviour, incompetence or incapacity — the only grounds for removing specified public office holders.
With the threshold unmet, the constitutional process effectively ends at the preliminary stage.
The petitions had sparked broader public debate regarding accountability, institutional independence and the handling of high-level removal proceedings. Observers have emphasised the need for strict adherence to constitutional safeguards to protect both institutional integrity and the reputations of public officials unless formal inquiry processes are triggered.
Source: joynews
