Election 2020: Use lawful means to address grievances – CPPE to losing parties

The Coalition of Professionals for Peaceful Elections (CPPE), has asked aggrieved persons in relation to the just-ended presidential and parliamentary elections, to resort to legal means to address their concerns and not violence.

The CPPE in a statement signed by Claudia Lumor and two others called for calm throughout the country and further urged all political actors and the relevant State institutions to be circumspect and measured in their public communication efforts, so as not to heighten tensions.

“The law enforcement agencies, in particular, should swiftly and promptly prosecute all persons (irrespective of political affiliation) who are suspected of having flouted the laws of Ghana before, during and after the elections, to send a strong message of our collective non-tolerance of crime,” the statement said.

“We take this opportunity to once again congratulate all Ghanaians for demonstrating our commitment to the ideals of democracy for the eighth consecutive time in our Fourth Republic.

“Ghana continues to be a beacon of hope in the Sub-Saharan African region, and a shining example of true representative government. We however note with concern the polarized post-election atmosphere, occasioned by a combination of factors, including, but not limited to, issues relating to the collation of Parliamentary election results in some constituencies; accusations of collusion by the Electoral Commission, the ruling government and the military to subvert the will of the people; some computational errors made by the Electoral Commission; the rejection of the Presidential election results by the main opposition candidate; and some statements made by leading members of the main opposition party.

“The CPPE hereby calls for calm throughout the country and urges all political actors and the relevant State institutions to be circumspect and measured in their public communication efforts, so as not to heighten tensions. The law enforcement agencies, in particular, should swiftly and promptly prosecute all persons (irrespective of political affiliation) who are suspected of having flouted the laws of Ghana before, during and after the elections, to send a strong message of our collective non-tolerance of crime.

“We commend the Electoral Commission for the conduct of the elections in a free and fair manner and further encourage them to communicate clearly on all outstanding issues relating to the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, so as to disabuse the minds of sections of the Ghanaian populace regarding the authenticity and legitimacy of the declared results. We also strongly call on the main opposition political party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its leading members, to refrain and desist from making statements that may have the tendency of inciting their supporters and sympathizers to act in ways that will be prejudicial to the safety and well-being of Ghanaians generally, and the security of Ghana in particular.

“The right to free speech and expression in a democracy comes with a responsibility to be circumspect in the dissemination of information that may be factually inaccurate, defamatory, offensive, and inimical to the very pillars of our nascent democracy that successive generations of Ghanaians have laid down their lives for.

“We, therefore, entreat the main opposition candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama, who has rejected the results of the Presidential election, to use the only lawful means of challenging the declared results i.e. by filing a Presidential election petition in the Supreme Court of Ghana in accordance with Article 64 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, and presenting the necessary and supporting documentary evidence for there to be a peaceful resolution of the dispute, as transpired in the aftermath of the 2012 Presidential election.