Don’t allow yourselves to be exploited - NCCE Director

Ghanaians, particularly the youth have been cautioned not to allow themselves to be exploited by selfish politicians to trigger violence in the forthcoming general election.

The Deputy Commissioner of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in charge of operations, Mr Samuel Akuamoah, who made the call during a stakeholder’s forum on the impending elections, observed that it would be disastrous if Ghanaians allowed themselves to be used by selfish politicians to destabilize the peace in the country.

The programme, organised by the NCCE and sponsored by the European Union, attracted stakeholders including the representatives of the various political parties, religious and traditional leaders, the Electoral Commission, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Media, the Security Agencies and the National Peace Council among others.

It aimed at ensuring that stakeholders remained committed at ensuring peace before, during and after the forthcoming general election as well as make inputs and contributions towards achieving that objective.

The Deputy Commissioner who expressed concerns about the attitude and utterances of some political party leaders including their supporters, stressed that nothing should be done to disturb the relative peace the country was enjoying.

“Ghana should not be complacent over the fact that she has enjoyed some level of peace in the past elections. Anything can happen and we should not take things for granted. All players must play their respective roles very well to ensure peace, before, during and after the elections,” Mr Akuamoah stressed.

The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Afeku, who made a presentation on Early Warning Signs, Possible Causes, and peaceful ways of managing elections related cases called on the media not to allow their platforms to be used by politicians to cause trouble.

The Regional Coordinating Director, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullai, who addressed the stakeholders on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr Albert Abongo, expressed regrets that elections had become a major cause of conflict in Africa which often led to fatal consequences.

He mentioned chieftaincy and land disputes as some of the major causes of conflict in the Region and appealed to the stakeholders to ensure that such conflicts did not degenerate into violence.