The presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has commended the Electoral Commission (EC) for the cooperation his party has enjoyed so far in preparations for Ghana's 7 December general elections.
The former President, who is seeking a return to power, made these remarks during the 2024 Presidential Peace Pact organised by the National Peace Council in Accra on Thursday, 28 November.
While acknowledging the EC's efforts, Mr Mahama emphasised the need to protect Ghana's hard-won peace and avoid actions that could lead to chaos. He pointed to the experiences of neighbouring countries that have suffered election-related violence and their devastating consequences.
Reflecting on Ghana's recent history, he highlighted unresolved incidents of violence from the 2020 general elections and the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, including the killing of eight people in Techiman.
Mistrust is built through a mismatch between words and gaslighting on the part of those in authority, Mr Mahama said. There is reason to be concerned that the signing of this pact, though well-intentioned, could amount to nothing if it is not followed by concrete actions to guarantee the peace by the stakeholders and government. Events and happenings during the last election and during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election create considerable doubts about the genuineness of some of the commitments that we might make today.
He added that without deliberate efforts, the peace pact might fail to achieve its intended purpose, questioning the measures in place to prevent a recurrence of past election-related violence.
How are we to believe that such killings will not reoccur during this election? As well, there also remains the vexed question of the use of thugs dressed in security service uniforms to intimidate and brutalise citizens during elections. How can we tell these thugs from the professional members of the security services, especially when they carry no name tags and conceal their faces with masks?
The 2024 Peace Pact was attended by leaders of various political parties, the EC, and other stakeholders. The quadrennial event aims to secure public commitments from political leaders to ensure peaceful, violence-free elections and maintain national unity after the polls.