Former Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mrs Charlotte Osei, has disclosed that political party supporters once surrounded her father’s house and threatened to set it ablaze over decisions they believed she had made in her official capacity.
Mrs Osei made the revelation during a democracy dialogue on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, where she spoke about the personal toll of serving as Ghana’s first female Electoral Commission Chair.
“There was a time that a political party mob surrounded my dad’s house and they were going to burn it down because of actions they felt I had taken,” she said.
She explained that family safety became a constant concern during her tenure. While acknowledging that misinformation and verbal attacks on her person were part of the role, she noted that being a woman added an extra burden.
“The cost was really on a very personal level. Attacks on my family, concerns about the safety of my children and my wider family. It was either they were worrying for themselves or constantly worrying about your own safety,” she stated.
Mrs Osei added that her father was alive at the time, which made the threats even more difficult to manage.
Reflecting on her appointment in 2015, she said gender bias was evident from the start. “Even my own father expressed the same fear. He was like, this is not a job for a woman,” she revealed.
She also faced criticism that she was too young for the role, especially as she was succeeding Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, who had led the commission for more than two decades.
Mrs Osei said her reputation for being “quite stubborn” shielded her from certain pressures. “Most people know I’m quite stubborn. So the kind of calls you think I received, I probably did not even receive because they knew I would not be amenable,” she explained. On inappropriate requests, she said: “If they say do it and it’s not in line with the law, it’s an easy answer. I wouldn’t do it.”
She linked her personal experiences to wider concerns about democracy in Africa, citing research that shows 51 per cent of Ghanaians view military intervention as a solution to abuse of elected power.
She observed that many young voters had never lived under military rule and so viewed coups differently from older generations.
Turning to regional institutions, she criticised ECOWAS for double standards, arguing that the body was quiet on constitutional manipulation and flawed elections but quick to condemn coups.
“That’s why the people are not happy,” she said, adding that many see ECOWAS and the African Union as clubs of leaders rather than institutions that engage citizens.
