By: Isaac Amoah
The Ashanti South Police Regional Commander, ACP/Mr. George Ankomah, has made a passionate appeal to all stakeholders to ensure free and fair elections devoid of confusion before, during and after this year’s general election.
He said, “Ghana is the only country we have; let’s all come together to protect the nation.”
He, therefore, cautioned Ghanaian media practitioners not to declare winners of the elections. “Be mindful not to declare the winner(s) of the elections. We (police) expect you to provide educational content to the electorate, monitor the electoral processes for transparency, highlight breaches, provide coverage of the elections, monitor the counting and report on election results … ,” he stressed.
According to him, it is the fervent prayer of the police that this year’s election will be incident-free.
ACP/Mr George Ankomah
The Ashanti South Police Regional Commander made the call at a workshop for the media held at Camp Martin Hotel at Femesua in Kumasi on Friday, 9th February 2024.
The workshop was on the theme: “Promoting Peaceful Journalistic Media Platforms Ahead of Elections 2024.” The commander spoke on the topic: “Police, the Media and Elections Coverage”.
Albert Kwabena Dwumfour,Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo and Kevin
On his part, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) President, said the “Journalists for Peaceful Discourse Project” was a game changer that could ensure peaceful elections. He, therefore, called on all media practitioners to be circumspect in their reportage and avoid all acts that have the potency to create confusion.
Also, he urged the leadership of the GJA to ensure all journalists in the country go about their duties without any fear of intimidation or harassment.
ACP George Ankomah
Albert Kwabena Dwumfour,GJA President
The GJA President commended the US Embassy in Ghana, especially Kevin J. Brosnahan, for his instrumental role in letting the project to become a reality.
The US Embassy representative/Press Attach, Kevin Brosnahan, in a statement, lauded the GJA President and his other executives for protecting Ghanaian journalists.
He gave an assurance that the Embassy would continue to collaborate with the GJA and other stakeholders to deepen Ghana’s democratic dispensation.
The Ashanti Regional Electoral Commission boss, Mr. Benjamin Bano-Bioh, reaffirmed the commission’s preparedness to ensure credible polls.
Also, he said all hands should be on deck to ensure peaceful elections since the EC alone couldn’t do it. “Ensuring peaceful elections is a shared responsibility and I call on all stakeholders to contribute their quota to it,” he added.
