Garu NCCE Encourages Citizens to Promote Peaceful Elections 2024

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Garu office of the Upper East region engaged the youth and community members under the broad theme: “Together we can build Ghana, so get involved”. The District Director, Mr. Akolgo then called on citizens to ensure peace before, during and after the 2024 elections. He explained to participants that this activity aimed at creating awareness about violent extremism and facilitating activities to engender security consciousness, social inclusiveness, community cohesion, and situational awareness among the citizenry to enhance peace-building for sustainable development.

He said Violent Extremism remained a major challenge and noted it was important not to allow unscrupulous people particularly extremists to take advantage of any volatile situation to destabilise the country.

Again, the people were encouraged to be united to overcome all the barriers to our national development including our share of the global crisis. They were also sensitised on the roles of political parties in maintaining peace during elections. “The political parties must also be civil and respectful in their utterances to foster peace and tranquillity, he added”, he remarked.

Mr. Akolgo said “I appeal to citizens and political parties” leaders to always resort to the use of dialogue in settling differences to promote peace and social cohesion, free, fair, and peaceful general elections this year, 2024”. Mr Akolgo urged the political parties’ actors, supporters, leaders and citizens to refrain from making negative comments that could incite tension and undermine the electoral process such as misinformation/disinformation and fake news among others, he added.

Speaking to the participants Mr. Akolgo explained that the roots of all thriving democracies in the world are to be found in peace, stability, law and order and opportunities for all political parties to exercise a level playing field to promote free, fair and credible elections and the acceptance of the results. In addition, he added that all political parties should adhere to the Public Order Act 1994 (Act, 491) so that no two political parties shall hold public meetings or rallies on the same day in the same locality. He said all political parties, candidates, supporters, should avoid obstruction, disruption, break up meetings or rallies organized by other political parties and must not destroy, remove, deface posters as well as carrying arms and offensive weapons during election periods.

He encouraged citizens and political parties’ agents to desist from the use of inflammatory and abusive language, heightening of ethnic and other tensions, personal attacks, and acts of violence either directly by themselves, through leaders, assigns, members, representatives, agents and privies or by proxy.

He added that Election Day Offences also include multiple voting, unnecessary interference, intoxication on election day, selling of alcohol within 500 meters of any polling station, taking foreign materials to the polling centres and open display of party colours at polling centres.