Mahama receives 10 petitions seeking removal of EC Commissioners and Special Prosecutor
According to high-level sources familiar with the process, seven petitions target the Electoral Commission (EC)—specifically Chairperson Jean Mensa and her two deputies, Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey—while **three separate petitions call for the dismissal of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
President John Dramani Mahama is facing a growing wave of constitutional petitions seeking the removal of key public office holders, after receiving 10 formal complaints calling for action against the leadership of two major state institutions.
According to high-level sources familiar with the process, seven petitions target the Electoral Commission (EC)—specifically Chairperson Jean Mensa and her two deputies, Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey—while **three separate petitions call for the dismissal of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Ebow Hawkson reports per his checks that all petitions have now been transmitted to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the constitutionally mandated authority to determine whether any of the complaints merit further inquiry.
Under Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, EC Chairpersons, their deputies, and the Special Prosecutor fall under the category of officials appointed by the President in consultation with the Council of State, based on Article 70.
Their removal, however, is governed by the same stringent protections afforded to Justices of the Superior Courts, making arbitrary dismissal nearly impossible.
This is designed to protect institutional independence and safeguard public trust in the electoral and anti-corruption ecosystems.
The Constitution sets out a multi-stage procedure in Article 146, which mirrors the process used for judges of the Superior Courts.
The EC Chairperson is treated as equivalent to a Court of Appeal Judge, while the deputies share the conditions of service of High Court Judges.
This architecture ensures the EC—one of Ghana’s most sensitive democratic institutions—retains operational autonomy.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, Act 959, outlines its own removal mechanisms, although the principles closely mirror Article 146.
The Chief Justice must now review the petitions and determine whether any warrant a full inquiry. Only then would a formal removal process commence.
With petitions touching both the electoral management body and Ghana’s anti-corruption authority, governance watchers say the outcomes could reshape the country’s institutional landscape ahead of a crucial democratic cycle.
