Charlotte Osei calls her removal as EC Chair ‘Petty’ & ‘Unnecessary’

Former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei, has characterized the circumstances leading to her 2018 removal from office as excessively trivial and unjustified.

During an interview on Personality Profile on Joy FM, she expressed that she was treated unfairly and that the entire situation was petty and unnecessary.

“The pettiness of it was excessive. Excessively petty and very unnecessary in my view, ” she stated.

Charlotte Osei, reflecting on her 2018 removal as Electoral Commission Chairperson, remarked that she had anticipated the drama due to her understanding of the people involved.

“No I was not surprised, I knew the people I was dealing with and I expected it”, she said

She suggested that the entire process, from the investigation to the committee’s recommendations, seemed carefully orchestrated.

Despite this, Osei admitted that she still does not fully understand the reasons behind her dismissal, leaving her with lingering questions about the true motivations.

“As for the why, I don’t know, ” she admitted.

While Charlotte Osei avoided directly addressing whether her dismissal was politically motivated, she assured that a detailed account of the situation would be included in her upcoming book. She emphasized that with three decades of law practice, this episode does not define her career.

Highlighting her diverse experiences, Osei expressed a strong determination to share her story, especially for the sake of her granddaughters.

“I have two granddaughters, and for them, I am writing this book. As women, there is a lot they can learn from my life story,” she said.

In 2018, Charlotte Osei, along with her deputies AmaduSulley and Georgina OpokuAmankwaa, was dismissed following a committee’s investigation into allegations of corruption and misconduct.

The 2017 petition against her alleged unilateral decision-making and fraudulent activities, including the cancellation of a contract with Superlock Technologies Limited (STL) and authorizing a $76,000 payment to the IT firm Dream Oval.

Mrs. Osei revealed that during her tenure in office, she received numerous death threats and faced serious concerns for her family’s safety.

“There were somethings I expected, I remember my husband telling me there are going to be attacks.  I think it was worse than we anticipated. There were threats through the mail, and sometimes the security agencies would call to warn me to be careful,” she disclosed in Thursday’s interview.

She also shared that the impact of these threats was particularly harsh on her young children, who experienced abuse at school due to the tense political environment.

Despite her strong resolve, Mrs. Osei admitted to grappling with doubts about whether the risks to her family made the position worthwhile.

“My family was very supportive and they alsorecognised that it was just for a season. All storms run out of water at some point, so everyone encouraged me to stay strong and see how things would unfold after the elections,” she said.

Despite the challenges she described, she stated that she has no regrets and views her time as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission as an honor.