Intensify public education to counter misinformation, falsehood - CCG urges EC

The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to take its public education on its various electoral reforms very seriously to ensure that political parties do not use misinformation or falsehood to deceive the public.

According to the council, it had become a norm for some political parties, every election year, to use misinformation to influence the public to doubt the neutrality and credibility of the commission and ultimately dent its image.

“They usually do that when things do not go their way and when they want certain things to happen to create needless tension in the minds of the people,” the Chairman of the CCG, Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, said in Accra.

He was speaking to the leadership of the EC during a stakeholders meeting between the two institutions.

The meeting was attended by the executive members of the CCG and five EC officials, led by its Chairperson, Mrs Jean Mensa, and her two deputies — Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Mr Samuel Tettey.

The EC is currently embarking on a nationwide tour to engage with the various institutions in its attempt to roll out the commission’s electoral reforms.

Read also: Receiver of insolvent and dormant microfinance companies starts payment to depositors

Ready to help

Dr Boafo said the council was ready to help the EC roll out the public education of its electoral reforms so that every single Ghanaian would understand the various electoral activities.

He said over the past year, the council had devoted resources and its attention to educating its members to adhere to the electoral guidelines and also avoid any acts that would be detrimental to the country’s electoral progress.

Dr Boafo said the EC must create an environment where the public would develop strong confidence in its activities and commended the commission for its ongoing nationwide stakeholder engagement.

EC prepared

In her submission, Mrs Mensa said the commission had spent the last 10 months rolling out various reforms to strengthen its electoral process.