The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) together with Executives of the two major political parties, the Police, faith-based organisations, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders have signed a pact to ensure peaceful elections before, during and after the upcoming 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in the country.
The peaceful pact was organised by NCCE on the theme: “Together We Can Build Ghana, So Get Involved” to commit the political parties, especially, the two major political parties (NDC and NPP) to engage their members to desist from any form of electoral misconduct and ensure peace within the constituency.
The Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) serve as a platform to dialogue, deliberate on issues, resolve misunderstanding and disagreements and to create awareness to political folks and stakeholder before, during and after the upcoming elections.
Speaking to participants, the Principal Civic Education Officer at NCCE, Adentan constituency, Alexander Owusu Siaw outlined the importance of the meeting to ensure peaceful, successful, free and fair elections across the country.
He explained that, the IPDC serves as a platform that brings together all stakeholders such political party executives, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, the security services, traditional leaders, affiliated political party groups and so on to discuss and resolve differences and challenges between members before, during and after elections in the municipality.
Mr. Siaw added that NCCE would further embark on joint sensitisation programmes with political party groups, foot-soldiers, religious groups, and civil society groups or affiliates, to raise awareness on tolerance and peace, avoidance of electoral violence, good conduct among others throughout the election period.
He advised the public and leaders of political parties in the constituencies and regions to play a pivotal role in ensuring that peace reigns and how to handle situations maturely that would inure to the benefit of the country.
“my advice to voters and Ghanaians and every concern citizen that, we have only one Ghana and no other country again, therefore, we are one Ghana and so, peace should be the ultimate. I urged all to report any form of electoral mal-practices to the appropriate quarters to be addressed amicably and peacefully” he noted.
The Electoral office in the constituency, Gerald Roberts pointed out the usefulness of the code of conduct for political parties.
He explained the preambles and advised the political parties to abide by the code, stating that, it will ensure good conduct, understanding and peaceful elections in the municipality.
He urged the party’s faithful to allow the code of conduct to supersede any other conduct and to educate their foot soldiers as such in order to reach an agreement on all misunderstanding issues within the political divide and among stakeholders across board.
The District Commander of Adentan Police Command, C/Supt.Richard A. Boateng spoke on the topic “vigilantism Act and peaceful elections” pin-pointed some mechanism put in place by the police force in the constituency to ensure violent free before during and after the upcoming 2024 general elections.He quoted the Vigilantism and Related Offences 2019 (Act 999) which disbands political vigilantes and empowers the police to arrest and prosecute offenders as well as to seize weapons and property related to vigilantism. He encouraged community involvement in preventing vigilantism and promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts in the country.
C/Supt. Boateng further reiterated the need for authorities to continuously engage residents and political party’s faithful on the issues of violence, misunderstanding, disagreements and to its applicable solutions throughout the election period.
He again advised party faithful and youth groups among others to desist from any political influencer’s advice and violence that would hinder the success and fairness of the elections.
Present at the meeting were Greater Accra Regional Director NCCE, Mr. Mawuli Agbernu, the Zongo Chief of Ashaley Botwe and the Muslim Community, Abdul Kadir Yakubu Moli who served as the chairman, the MCE of Adentan Municipality, Executives of the two major political parties in the constituency, religious leaders and others.
Source: Eric Nii Sackey
