Former Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has pushed back against fresh allegations by former Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei
Former Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has pushed back against fresh allegations by former Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, that she manipulated or delayed the declaration of the 2016 presidential election results.
Speaking on Kessben FM on September 5, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu alleged that Charlotte Osei was hesitant to announce Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s victory in the hotly contested polls.
According to him, the EC claimed that a cyberattack had compromised its systems, a justification he dismissed as a cover for deliberate delays.
He further alleged that chiefs, pastors, and businessman Ibrahim Mahama—brother of President John Dramani Mahama—had to intervene to push the commission to release the official results.
EC sources also told The Daily Gist that foreign election observers including Thabo Mbeki, former South African president and Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas allegedly intervened by storming her when the dismissed EC boss was not in the a hurry to release the results.
She was ensconced in her office allegedly listening to music at the time tension had gripped the country, leading to a reprimand from the foreign observer team.
The comments reignited one of the most debated issues from the 2016 elections, which saw then-incumbent President Mahama defeated by Nana Akufo-Addo, the then main opposition leader.
That election was hailed both locally and internationally as credible, though tensions over delays in announcing results fueled suspicion and speculation.
Reacting to the former Majority Leader’s allegations, Osei flatly denied the claims.
In a brief but firm post on social media, she shared a news report on the subject with the words: “the lies continue unabated.”
Her response suggested deep frustration with what she considers a persistent attempt to rewrite the history of the 2016 elections.
Charlotte Osei, who became the first female EC Chair after her appointment in 2015, supervised the elections under intense scrutiny.
At the time, the commission admitted facing technical challenges, including attempted hacking of its systems, but maintained that these did not affect the credibility of the final outcome.
On December 9, 2016, she officially declared Nana Akufo-Addo president-elect with 53.8 percent of the votes against Mahama’s 44.4 percent.
The resurfacing of these allegations has once again placed Osei in the political spotlight.
Her tenure ended controversially in 2018, when President Akufo-Addo removed her from office with her two deputies, following a committee report that cited procurement irregularities.
Nearly nine years on, the back-and-forth between leading political figures reflects how the 2016 elections remain a flashpoint in the democratic journey.
While Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu insists the EC Chair delayed the declaration, Osei continues to reject such claims outright, standing by the credibility of the process she oversaw.
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