IPDC HOLDS 2ND MEETING TOWARDS PEACEFUL ELECTIONS 2024 10TH OCTOBER, 2024

As Ghana readies herself to hold her 9th general elections on December 7, 2024, Upper East Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. James Abdulai Ayaala has observed that all previous eight episodes of elections were generally peaceful, with accompanying smooth transitions of power.

The NCCE Director thus charged Ghanaians not to do anything untoward that has the tendency to jeopardize all the beautiful democratic credentials the country has toiled for and gained through the periods. “From 1992 to date, it has come to be accepted in Ghana that, democracy is the best system of governance and all well-meaning Ghanaians ought to keep building on this path”, he emphasized.

Mr. Ayaala was speaking at the second meeting of the Kassena-Nankana West District Inter-Party Dialogue Committee meeting held this Thursday at the Assembly’s conference hall. The district’s NCCE office convened the meeting to allow for deliberations among the 40 members of the Committee who come from various backgrounds including executives of youth associations, the security, some public service institutions, political party executives and religious bodies among others.

Kassena-Nankana West District Director for the NCCE, Mr. Robert Dampare in his remarks at the meeting, disclosed that the District Inter-Party Dialogue Committee is purely a creation of the NCCE, which was reconstituted and inaugurated on 9th May, 2024. He explained the initiative is geared at undertaking peace-building consultative meetings with stakeholders in helping to avert possible violent extremism, promoting peace, national cohesion and peaceful co-existence as Ghana navigates towards the 2024 general elections.

Mr. Dampare said the Committee will be embarking on church/mosques visitations, hold community fora, meet with other identifiable groups and also carry elaborate radio campaigns throughout the electioneering season, to the elections’ day and after so as to help ensure a free, fair and violence-free elections for the country. He said for example that, the Committee will engage with the Electoral Commission for accreditation to undertake election monitoring and submit its report and findings to the authorities for appropriate actions.

Paga District Police Commander, ASP Mr. Ziaullah Khalil Ibrahim delivered a presentation on Monitoring and Reporting Threats and Vulnerabilities tot Violent Extremism as well as Mediation and Resolution of Local Conflicts. He admitted in his presentation that it was purely the mandate of the Police and other sister security agencies to maintain law and order and also ensure that the country’s borders are constantly watched in order to stop infiltration of terrorists and any form of extremists. He however held that, it was equally the responsibility of Ghanaian especially the border dwellers to be up the beat and assist the security agencies to perform effectively by providing them with tip-offs on any suspicious and strange persons and any terror-related activities in their communities since the personnel cannot be everywhere at the same time.

ASP Khalil turned his attention on causes of threats and vulnerabilities and mentioned the unstable security situation within the continent in countries like Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria as potential sources of a spill over while political, socio-economic, disenfranchisement, religious beliefs and youth unemployment all form part of the causes as well.

The District Commander also advised political actors and the general public against all forms of election violence including rowdyism and stopping voters from casting their votes saying any reservations must be filed through the legal channels created by the Electoral Commission such as filling a challenge form to make your case rather than taking the law into one’s own hands.

He also touched on ways to detect youth radicalization and signs of recruitment and explained that, “radicalization is the act of someone adopting an extreme point of view, especially on social and on political issues/ideologies to the extent that, all other opinions do not matter except their own and hold that, everyone else must tow their line, nothing more, nothing less”.

According to officer Khalil, signs of radicalization may include the following; rejection or averse to political systems, strange individuals/movements with suspicious acts, exhibition of excitement about footage of extremists and the show of sympathy/passion to extremist ideologies and groups are all pointers to be watched closely.

When the floor was opened for all to contribute suggestions and throw in questions as well, there were questions as to who was the most appropriate to usher a physically challenged person and those with blindness to the final point of casting their ballot; the security officers on election duty or the family relative that escorts the PWD?