Peaceful elections: Tempane NCCE holds second phase of IPDC meeting to devise strategies
The Tempane District office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Upper East Region has organised the second phase of its Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) meeting to devise strategies for a peaceful election come December 7.
The meeting brought together stakeholders from political parties, security agencies, traditional authorities, faith-based organisations and persons living with disabilities to exchange ideas and strengthen collaborations to promote peaceful coexistence and tolerance and outline proactive measures to curb incidences of violence that may erupt during the electioneering period.
The engagement formed part of the European Union-sponsored project, dubbed “Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE)” being implemented by the NCCE in the five Northern regions and three adjoining regions.
Mr. James Abdulai Ayaala, the Upper East Regional Director of the NCCE, said the engagement was part of the Commission’s peace campaign efforts to foster collaborations amongst stakeholders towards preventing violent extremism and instituting effective mechanisms to promote peace during the 2024 general elections and beyond.
He said: “The stakes are high in this year’s general elections, and for that matter, there is the need for all of us to come together to ensure peace and stability during the electioneering period and beyond.”
The Regional Director called on political party representatives to propagate peace and tolerance among their members to prevent violent extremist and terrorist groups in neighbouring countries from taking advantage of any internal conflict to perpetrate their violent activities.
“I also urge you to intensify awareness on the devastating effects of religious and ethnic intolerance, vote-buying, information disorder and the use of inflammatory comments and hate speech that could serve as breeding grounds for violence in the upcoming elections, which has the tendency of derailing the democratic gains of our country,” he added.
Mr Martin Mumuni, the Tempane District Director of NCCE, reiterated that the security and peace of the country must be a concern for all Ghanaians and that “deliberate efforts should be taken to forestall any incidences of violence that could undermine the peace of the country.
He also charged the participants to be vigilant and report suspicious happenings and characters in their surroundings to the security agencies for prompt action.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Isaac Adu, the Tempane District Police Commander, enlightened the participants on the state of preparedness of the police in ensuring a peaceful atmosphere for electorates to exercise their franchise safely.
ASP Adu cautioned media practitioners who use their medium to peddle falsehood and sensational stories to desist from such acts, adding that media practitioners must remain professional by fact-checking their information before disseminating it to the public.
“The police in the Tempane District are well prepared to ensure peace in this year’s elections, and we encourage all stakeholders to come on board to promote a safe environment for the upcoming elections to be conducted peacefully”, he said.
The representatives of the political parties present at the meeting made a solemn pledge to propagate the message of peace to their supporters and conduct themselves in a manner that was expected of them