Central Region: Peace Council calls on political actors to defuse tensions

The Central Regional Peace Council has urged political actors to desist from acts that can destabilise the peace in the region before, during and after the election.

It has, therefore, called on political parties to defuse the tensions created in areas noted to be hotspots in the region. 

Consultative dialogue

The Chairman of the CRPC, the Rt Rev. Richardson Aboagye Andam, made the call through his representative, Alhaji Usman Abakah at a consultative dialogue organised by the CRPC for political parties in the Cape Coast North Constituency.

The political parties present included the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) and the Ghana Union Movement (GUM).

The party representatives, except the NDC, signed the peace pact pledging to work towards a peaceful election.

The meeting, which was attended by traditional authorities, the National Commission for Civic Education and the police, deliberated effective ways to ensure a peaceful election.

Hotspot

Alhaji Abakah said the Cape Coast North Constituency had for long been a hotspot, hence the need for political actors to commit to ensuring that that tag was removed.

He observed that elections were to select leadership towards peace and development and not to retard the growth of communities.

The deputy Central Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Sadik Wahid said the EC had the ultimate goal to ensure the electoral process was peaceful.

He said it was necessary for political parties to do their part by educating their polling station agents on electoral processes to avoid suspicion and confusion.

He urged voters to ensure they exited polling centres after voting, saying those who would want to observe the election would have to stay at least 500 metres from the polling centre.

Promoting peace

The second Vice-Chairman of the NPP for Cape Coast North, Ato Sam, said the party would work towards promoting peace.

The Chairman of the PPP, Stephen Antobam, said it was important that all actors worked towards peaceful and credible election.

The Cape Coast North Constituency Secretary of the NDC, Fred Kweku Appiah, called for fairness, impartiality and transparency on the part of security agencies and the EC to ensure peace.

The Cape Coast Constituency Chairman of the CPP, Francis Immuna, urged the EC to ensure there was a level of fairness and transparency in its dealing with all parties.

The Queen mother of Effutu, Nana Amba Eyiaba, urged women to join the campaign for peace, saying women and children remained most vulnerable in conflict.

A Professor of Development Studies, Prof. Stephen Kendie, who facilitated the dialogue, called on stakeholders to ensure fairness and justice.