President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed multiple petitions calling for the removal of the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, her deputies, and the Special Prosecutor (OSP) following a determination by the Chief Justice that no prima facie case existed for further action
The petitions were received by Jubilee House in late 2025, with the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirming that ten separate petitions had been filed under the constitutional removal process.
Seven of these targeted EC Chair Jean Mensa and her two deputies, Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tettey, while three sought the removal of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng. These petitions were duly referred to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for preliminary constitutional scrutiny as required under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
The grounds cited by petitioners, including some lodged by an EC staff member, alleged misconduct ranging from cronyism and abuse of office to gross incompetence that, in their view, had eroded public confidence in the institutions being targeted.
The petitioner against the EC leadership, Joseph Blankson Adumadzie, outlined a series of concerns about administration and integrity, although his exact complaints remain legally confined due to constitutional confidentiality provisions.
However, after reviewing the petitions, the Chief Justice determined that no prima facie case existed to justify further investigation or the establishment of a formal inquiry committee. This constitutional threshold must be met before a five-member tribunal can be constituted to investigate allegations of stated misbehaviour, incompetence or incapacity — the only grounds on which such office-holders can be removed. Since that test was not met, the process effectively ends with the Chief Justice’s decision. (Common constitutional procedure under Article 146)
According to a statement issued by the Presidency on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama referred seven petitions calling for the removal of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Jean Mensa and her Deputies, as well as three separate petitions seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, to the Chief Justice for a determination.
The referral was made in accordance with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 15 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), to ascertain whether the petitions disclosed a prima facie case.
The statement indicated that the petitions were referred to the Chief Justice on November 25, 2025.
By a letter dated January 26, 2026, the Chief Justice informed the President that no prima facie case had been established by the petitions to justify further investigations or removal proceedings against the Electoral Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioners, or the Special Prosecutor.
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