The Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in charge of the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region, Madam Felicia Ajongbah has observed that Violent Extremism terrorism, and other forms of violence have the potential to derail the democratic gains in Ghana have made if effective mechanisms are not put in place to monitor the 2024 impending general elections.
The Municipal Director observed the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee Meeting on preventing and containing violent extremism, held in Navrongo, on Monday.
The event, sponsored by the European Union (EU), attracted participants including the overlord of the Navrongo Traditional area, the Municipal Chief Executive, Faith-Based Organisations, the security personnel, the Director of NCCE, the leadership of political parties, civil society organizations among others.
The Municipal Director encouraged all political parties to conduct their campaigns on issues based on promoting peace and strengthening mutual respect among themselves before, during, and after the 2024 general elections, stressing “so together we can build Ghana with the involvement of everyone”
She explained that the purpose of the program was to bring all key stakeholders in the Municipality together to brainstorm and dialogue to find solutions to avert potential electoral conflicts before, during, and after the 2024 general elections and also to have meaningful discussions on strategies to strengthen vigilance against external forces.
The Municipal Director stated as part of measures to help avert any potential conflict before, during, and after the election, the NCCE is working with the IPDCs in the Municipality and its environs.
She stated that as part of the measures, the IPDC has also been tasked to monitor and report cases of breach of rules and regulations relating to the conduct of the elections and the maintenance of public order.
She mentioned that some of the key violations the IPDC is to monitor include the distribution of money and other gifts to electorates, declaration of election results by political parties and their members, defacing of posters, biased media reportage, and the use of provocative and abusive language by political parties and their members
The Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner, Yahaya Muchiraru schooled the participant on ways to detect youth radicalization and signs of recruitment.
He also empowered the participants with mediation and resolution mechanisms skills on local conflicts and told the participants what to do during the attack.
He gave them toll-free numbers to call the security in times of conflict or any suspicion of Violent Extremism and Terrorism and also admonished the general public to render credible information to the police to assist them in fighting crime in the Municipality, stressing “security is a shared responsibility”.
The Municipal Director of the Electoral Commissioner, Mr Tettey Ankama Okyere, interacted with participants on the limited voter registration, and urged all those who are 18 years and above to come out to register.
He also urged political parties to desist from negative comments that could create tension and undermine the electoral process in the Municipality.
The Municipal Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mr Issahaku Abdul-Gafaru, also educated the participants on their civic rights to register and to vote and also told the participants that violent extremism is real.
