The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has assured that no military personnel will be deployed to polling stations during the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
In a statement dated December 1, 2024 and signed by Director General of Public Relations Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, GAF emphasised its commitment to peaceful elections, stating:
GAF's presence will be limited to standby support, with the primary responsibility for election security remaining with the Ghana Police Service (GPS). The military will only be deployed upon request by the GPS. This collaborative approach ensures that the elections proceed smoothly and peacefully while maintaining law and order.
The Ghana Armed Forces’ statement also urged the public to report any military personnel or individuals in military attire found at polling stations on election day to the nearest police station for necessary punitive action:
In the spirit of transparency and to prevent any misunderstandings, we encourage the public to report any military personnel, individual(s) identifying themselves as GAF personnel, or any individual(s) wearing military-patterned attire/accoutrements found at any polling station to the nearest Police Station or call the following GPS toll-free numbers: 18555 or 0800 311 311.
This assurance follows a warning by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which stated it would resist any military deployment intended to intimidate voters on 7 December 2024.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the National Election Security Taskforce, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring peaceful elections during an address to the Commonwealth Observer Group Mission to Ghana on Monday, 2 December.
Read the statement below:
