Ghana risks losing its reputation as a beacon of democracy in Africa as pockets of violence continue to dominate every election.
Some constituencies are particularly notorious for these acts, and the chances of violence rearing its ugly head again in the December 7 elections cannot be ruled out.
The intense rivalry between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has led to disputes and violence during voter registrations, elections, and by-elections nationwide.
The disturbances are often characterised by physical assaults from citizens and uniformed officers and the violent use of tear gas, pepper spray, and guns.
Thirty victims perished in 2000, but the fatalities decreased significantly to one in 2004.
However, the numbers began to rise again, with three deaths in 2008, seven in 2012, eight in 2016, and eight in 2020.
These statistics are a cause for concern, and the EC’s 7,250 flashpoints ahead of the December polls suggest that the risk of violence remains troubling.
As December 7 inches closer, The Ghana Report’s Election Data Centre explores seven leading hotspots as police devise new strategies to curb the menace.
Below are some flashpoints identified.
- Techiman South
The Techiman South constituency has been characterised by disputes and violence in past elections.
Paramount amongst these incidents was the 2020 chaos that claimed two lives.
In a video circulated on social media, supporters of the NPP and the NDC were seen awake, observing the collation of the results at night.
A few moments later, the chaotic scene unfolded due to a misunderstanding between the two parties.
The security agents at the scene fired warning shots to maintain calm as supporters of both parties fought and destroyed ballot boxes containing results from some polling stations.
The video also captured protests and some fleeting moments where live ammunition was fired into the crowd.
At the end of what was meant to be an opportunity to elect a leader for the country, an 18-year-old apprentice in a streetlight business, Abdallah Ayarick, and a 41-year-old father of four, Mohammed Kajuden, lost their lives.
Nine others were recorded to have sustained various degrees of injuries following the shootout.
Asawase
In 2020, violent clashes erupted during the limited registration exercise, leaving three people injured.
Disturbances at Asokore-Mampong in the Asawase Constituency in Kumasi left at least three people, including a woman, injured.
Supporters of the two main political parties pelted each other with bricks and stones amid wrestling and fisticuffs.
The Asawase constituency is one of very few in the region to be held by the NDC for many years. Despite many attempts, the NPP has failed to capture this seat.
Odododiodio
Rita Otoo Teki, 15; Botwe Tackie, 16; and Emmanuel Dompreh, 36; died after they were shot in a clash between NPP and NDC supporters in Odododiodio Constituency in 2020.
The incident occurred when supporters of the New Patriotic Party took to the streets to celebrate, claiming victory in the polls.
Their jubilation sparked counter-reaction from the supporters of the National Democratic Congress and led to a violent clash between the two groups.
In the course of the melee, gunshots were reportedly fired from a distance.
Besides the deaths, eight others were also injured.
Savelugu Constituency
In the Savelugu Constituency, two young persons were shot and killed on the 8th day of December 2020 without any provocation whatsoever.
These young persons are 14-year-old Samira Zakaria and 15-year-old Fuseini Musah.
The police claimed the NDC parliamentary candidate in the elections and the MP-elect for the area, Alhaji Iddris Yakubu, were responsible.
They, therefore, apprehended the MP-elect then, together with the chief of Duko Naa Mohammed Ahmed, and announced that they retrieved two AK-47 rifles at the residence of the MP and the NDC party office.
However, an update from the police explained that the seized guns did not match the spent shells retrieved from the scene.
Ablekuma Central Constituency
On December 7, 2020, in the Ablekuma Central Constituency, at the Odorkor Police Church Collation Centre, 30-year-old Ibrahim Abbas was shot dead.
Elsewhere at Sabon Zongo, a misunderstanding between NPP and NDC polling agents over a disputed pink sheet resulted in gunshots.
A level 300 student journalist at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Pious Kwanin Asiedu, was shot and injured. He was an accredited journalist for Global Newswatch.
Puis is now suffering from a tibia fracture, which resulted in bone loss from the unfortunate incident.
Ashaiman
In 2016, residents besieged the coalition centre, disrupting the electoral process.
This made it difficult for the electoral officers to submit the polling station results for collation.
The electoral officers had a tough time compiling results from over 220 polling stations.
At a point, some were spotted carrying the ballot boxes like fresh high school students with chop boxes on their heads, reporting to start school
Again, in 2020, during the limited voter registration, a former chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress in Ashaiman, Shadad Jallo, allegedly slapped the NPP agent, Rahman Osman, at the Ashaiman Valco flat during a misunderstanding at the registration centre.
This led to a massive outburst from supporters of both parties until the police intervened.
Atiwa
Disputes over election results sparked violence in the 2010 by-election.
The 2010 Atiwa by-election was characterized by violence, and the most significant was the alleged accident involving the vehicle of the then NDC women’s organizer, the damage to the official car of a DCE, and assault on other persons.
The then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye, sent a high-powered delegation from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to the Eastern Region to investigate allegations of violence that characterized the Atiwa by-election.
Ayawaso West Wuogon
Ayawaso West Wuogon became widely known for the by-election violence that occurred on January 31, 2019, after the death of the incumbent MP, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko.
An hour after the commencement of voting, a chaotic scene was witnessed at the La Bawalashie Presbyterian School Polling Station following an impasse that ensued over the polls.
Some armed men clothed in National Security apparel stormed the polling station and attacked some polling agents of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Eighteen people suffered gunshot wounds and injuries in the ensuing attack.
Mr. Sam George, the NDC Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, was also assaulted by unidentified men.
Preparations for 2024 polls
Ahead of the December polls, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has entreated Ghanaians to support the police in maintaining peace and security during the 2024 general elections by identifying and reporting individuals who threaten national stability.
Dr. Dampare emphasised the importance of community collaboration in preventing election-related violence, highlighting that public vigilance is critical to addressing potential security risks.
The Ghana Police Service also assured the media of its commitment to their safety during the 2024 general elections to avoid past attacks on pressmen.
Addressing members of the Assemblies of God Church in Accra on Sunday, November 24, the IGP added that adequate facilities are in place to detain individuals who engage in unlawful activities during the election period.
“As we speak, the police cells have vacancies, and the prisons have vacancies. So that proactively, we move them out of our community and keep them where they want to be kept so that we continue to live our lives to the fullest during the rest of the election period and beyond,” the IGP added.