Afari-Gyan to share Ghana’s electoral success with
Nigerian senators
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, Sept 29, Ghanadot -
Nigeria’s Senate ad-hoc committee reviewing the country’s
1999 Constitution has invited the chairman of the Electoral
Commission of Ghana, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, to speak at its
forthcoming retreat in Kaduna State.
Also expected to speak at the forum, which will be attended
by the Speakers of the 36 states’ houses of assembly, is the
chairperson of the defunct Electoral Reform Committee and
former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Uwais.
The retreat will be held on
October 8 and 9, 2009.
A statement, in Abuja, by the Office of the Deputy Senate
President, Ike Ekweremadu, who also heads the 44-member
committee, said Dr. Afari-Gyan’s presentation is titled
“Designing Electoral Laws for Effective Election Management:
Global and Regional Perspective.”
The topic, according to the statement, will touch on the
legal framework for elections, constitutional courts and
independent candidacy among other issues.
“As you might be aware, Dr Afari-Gyan is the Chairman of the
Ghanaian Electoral Commission and has a good knowledge of
international standards and best practices on electoral
matters as well as vast experience in election management,”
the statement by Paul Odenyi, Mr Ekweremadu’s aide, said.
Mr. Odenyi also said the Electoral Commission
boss has confirmed his coming.
Dr. Afari-Gyan-led Ghana’s election commission has
successfully organized four general elections in the last 11
years. The elections are those that brought former President
Jerry Rawlings into his last term in office, brought former
President John Kufuor to power as well as his re-election.
He also led the body in the election that brought the
incumbent, John Atta Mills, to power early this year.
Mr. Afari-Gyan was a member of the ECOWAS fact-finding team
on the 2007 general elections in Nigeria.
The six-member team, led by former Gambian President Dauda
Jawara, appraised the preparations for the April 2007
election which brought President Umaru Yar’Adua to power.
Mr. Ekweremadu had, earlier this month, said that the ad-hoc
committee would seek technical assistance from international
organizations in the task of reviewing the 1999
Constitution.
Already, the committee has written to America’s National
Democratic Institute for assistance.
The decision is aimed at bringing in an international expert
in the field of constitution and electoral laws as well as
electoral management.
The Senate ad-hoc committee is embarking on a separate
amendment process from that of the House which is chaired by
Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada.
Both committees had disagreed over the position of Mr.
Nafada in the National Assembly Joint Committee on the
Review of the 1999 Constitution.
The House committee has already conducted public hearings
into the six bills forwarded to the National Assembly by
President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Its Senate counterpart, it was learnt, will organize
hearings on the bills after the retreat in Kaduna, this
year.
Ghanadot
