Heads of various Security Services in the country have vowed to ensure an incident free District Level Elections this month, and replicate same in the 2024 general elections.
According to the Security Services heads – Army, Police, Immigration, Fire and Prisons – the 2023 district level elections, which would be held on December 19, 2023 is a dress rehearsal of what would happen in next year’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
These Security Services, together with other agencies, such as National Ambulance Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and Electoral Commission of Ghana form the National Election Security Taskforce, which met yesterday in Accra.
Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), stated at the meeting that the policing of the local election would be a precursor for the upcoming general elections.
According to him, members of the Armed Forces are committed to protecting the country and prevent any aggression from both outside and within, “and we do so by air, by sea and by land, and even do so at the peril of our lives.”
He added that, even though the Police Service will be at the forefront of the election, the Armed Forces will be at the background, throwing in all the support needed to make the local level election peaceful.
“The Armed Forces is ready to act accordingly when we are called upon, but for the election duties proper, I will leave it to the sister security services to be in the forefront, we will always be in the background to act appropriately, when we are called upon,” he assured.
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Head of the Security Taskforce on Elections, said they were meeting to firm up the arrangements and the strategies for the assembly elections.
He indicated that the taskforce has become an integral part of the country’s electoral processes and democratic practices.
IGP Dr. Dampare gave the assurance that the taskforce would leave no stone unturned and that, they would ensure every election held in the country is peaceful and “we will do whatever it takes for the country to continue to be at peace.”
The other security heads affirmed their support to make the local level election peaceful.
Jean Mensah, Chairperson of EC, was happy with the reactivation of the electoral security taskforce, adding this could not have come at a better time.
She was particularly happy with the taskforce being activated, due to grave security threats confronting the country in recent times, saying that the evidence of the security threats are on daily basis.
Mrs Mensah said she had focused on election security because it had become the lifeblood of society, adding “people eat, drink and breathe elections 24 hours a day. We do witness this from the dialogue on our radio and TV on a 24 hour basis.”
According to her, nobody and nothing is spared in the quest to attain power, but reiterated the situation has worsened in recent times.
The EC chair further called on the Cyber Security Wing of the Ghana Police Service to pay attention to social media in order to bring to book individuals spreading fake news about her institution.
“I have no doubt that as members of the Election Security Task Force, we will find solid practical solutions to deal with this threat ,” she said.
