Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Jantuah has taken a swipe at former Electoral Commission Chairperson Jean Mensa, accusing her of sidelining political parties and displaying conduct that undermined confidence in the electoral process.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show, Ms Jantuah said many stakeholders expected professionalism and fairness when Mrs Mensa took office, but her leadership “changed dramatically.”
“Let’s be very truthful, Jean changed,” she said. “I was in IPAC, and even though I wasn’t happy with Charlotte and how she was treated, I was okay when I heard Jean was going to take over because of IEA. So we saw her as maybe a very strict person, somebody who was astute and credible, but it turned out to be something else.”
She claimed that concerns raised by political parties were routinely dismissed by the EC Chair.
“If you talk about misbehaviour, she misbehaved; Jean did not do well,” she said. “We have so many examples. You can take a case to court; Jean doesn’t care.”
According to her, attempts by political parties to engage the EC on critical issues were often ignored.
“Issues that we as political parties are not happy about — we will take them to court, and Jean doesn’t even care,” she said. “We want to have a discussion with her on matters pertaining to elections; she doesn’t care.”
Ms Jantuah stressed that her criticism was based on conduct, not personal dislike.
“It’s not that I’m bringing her down, but that is the truth,” she said.
She revealed that she initially defended Mrs Mensa because she believed external pressure might have influenced her posture.
“I used to make excuses for her,” she noted. “I even thought that she was being… she looked so afraid. I also thought that somebody was pushing her around. She had all these military men around her. I didn’t see that around Afari-Gyan; I didn’t see that with Charlotte. But in her case, she was always jittering, as if shaking.”
She cited inconsistencies in the 2020 presidential results as an example of questionable leadership.
Ms Jantuah also questioned the EC’s performance during the 2024 polls, pointing out that political parties released results before the Commission.
“In 2024, political parties had already announced their results, yet hers wasn’t out,” she said. “I’m neither NPP nor NDC, but I commend former President Bawumia — he came out quickly. If he didn’t have the mechanism to get the results, how was he going to concede? Meanwhile, Jean took almost five days.”
She argued that the EC should have had the systems and technology to deliver results without delay. According to her, dissatisfaction with Jean Mensa was not limited to one political party.
“Jean has misbehaved, whether we like it or not,” she said. “She’s done certain things. There were times that even the NPP in IPAC were not happy with her.”