Cool heads must prevail but credible voters' register very important for Ghana's peace - NCCE boss

The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy has called for dialogue between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Electoral Commission (EC) over whether there should be an audit of the voter register or not.

She said although cool heads needed to prevail, there was a need for stakeholders to do their best to restore trust in the electoral system.

This, she noted can be achieved by ensuring that a trusted and credible register is used for the December presidential and parliamentary elections.

The NCCE chairperson said building a trusted and credible electoral roll was very important as it is the foundation for peace and security.

She said: "If people don't have confidence or trust in the system, then, you're more likely to have a breakdown of law and order."

Kathleen Addy spoke to this reporter in Yendi on Thursday, after paying a courtesy call to the Overlord of Dagbon, Ndan Ya-Naa Abukari II at the Gbewaa Palace.

The NDC has called for an independent forensic audit of the country’s voter register.

Party officials have said that they have identified several errors in the electoral roll that can influence the outcome of the polls if not corrected.

The election authority said errors that were previously identified have been corrected and thus, there's no need for a forensic audit but the NDC has insisted it cannot trust the EC.

The fierce arguments and uncompromising positions taken by both the EC and the NDC have become a major source of concern, with many urging both sides to reach a compromise.

Adding her voice to the matter, she said: "The position of the NCCE is that cool heads must prevail. We're all Ghanaian citizens and nobody is higher than anybody in the context of citizenship and the democracy that we're practicing."

"All that can be done must be done to ensure that trust is restored so that we all have confidence when we go and vote, you know that your vote counts."

The Overlord of Dagbon, Ndan Ya-Naa Abukari II called on the youth to eschew all forms of violence before, during, and after the elections.

He commended the NCCE for its continuous civic education programs, assuring that his palace was always ready to support the activities of the commission.