Joseph Blankson Adumadzie, a staff member of the Electoral Commission (EC) who petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to remove Chairperson Jean Mensa and her two deputies, has revealed that he is currently on interdiction.
Mr Adumadzie, who filed the petition under Article 146 of the Constitution over alleged misconduct by the three top EC officials, explained that his current situation at the Commission was not the reason he decided to speak out. He said his decision was prompted by broader concerns over how the Commission was being run.
According to him, he has been on interdiction for sometime now over issues related to Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs).
“For a while now I don’t go to work. I have not resigned, I have not been sacked. I am on an interdiction. It’s a whole lot,” he said on Citi Eyewitness News on Monday November 24. He explained that the interdiction stemmed from allegations linking him to old BVDs that were reportedly found in a refuse dump.
He insisted that the claims against him were false. “It was about these BVDs. They were saying things that were not true about me but I don’t want to go there. Yes, the old machines, but they are not with me and it is not even true. That is the whole thing,” he said.
Mr Adumadzie further disclosed that the Commission took legal action against him but failed to prove the allegations in court.
“They sued me and couldn’t prove anything. And for one year I won the case, and I have sued them,” he added.
He clarified that his decision to petition President Mahama was not driven by personal anger or his interdiction. Instead, he said it was motivated by concerns about the Commission’s integrity and the need for accountability at the highest levels.
In the petition he submitted to the President, Mr Adumadzie cites 12 grounds of alleged misconduct against the Chairperson and her deputies, including cronyism, abuse of office and gross incompetence. He argues that their actions have weakened public confidence in the EC and pose a threat to Ghana’s electoral credibility.
He has since called on President Mahama to refer the petition to the Chief Justice to determine whether a prima facie case exists, in line with constitutional procedures.