The Council of State has declared that it cannot re-examine its recommendation for the appointment of Dr. Peter Appiahene and Hajia Salima Ahmed Tijani as members of the Electoral Commission.
The Council responded to a petition from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding the two appointments and stated that once it was content with the nominees’ resumes and advised the President to proceed with their appointments and swearing-in, its duty was fulfilled.
Nana Otuo Siriboe, Chairman of the Council of State, in a statement to the NDC, said the Council had completed its responsibilities, and, therefore, it was impossible to reconsider the recommendations it had made to the President since the two individuals had already been sworn into office.
“The process of advising the President is that the President submits names of the intended persons accompanied by their particulars with a write-up or what is called Curriculum Vitae (CVs). The Council of State studies the said CVs to ascertain the suitability or otherwise of the said individuals. When the Council is satisfied that the named individuals have the requisite qualifications it proceeds to approve the nomination. If the Council is not satisfied with the qualifications, it declines to make a recommendation.”
“As you rightly stated in paragraph 8 of the third page of your letter, the President having sworn into Office the two individuals, “the Council of State has become ‘functus officio’ in the process of their appointments. It is therefore not possible to review the recommendations already made by the Council to the President,” the statement said.
Attached below is the full statement to NDC
