Commission calls for more participation in local level election

An officer of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has appealed to religious bodies to use the pulpits to sensitize their congregation on the need to actively get involved in the upcoming local level elections.

The Upper East Regional Director of the NCCE , Mr Pontius P Apaabey Baba, who said this at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church at Fumbisi, said it was important for religious people to bring their values to bear on local governance.

He said participation in governance was both a legal and moral responsibility of citizens.

He said it was wrong to discriminate against women and persons with disabilities during elections.

“This is a violation of the fundamental human rights of such people and must not be allowed in this democratic era”, Mr Baba said.

He reminded the congregation of the need to sensitize their communities and associates on the importance of elections at the local level such as the District Assembly and the Unit levels.

A Principal Field Officer of the Commission, the Builsa North District, Mr Solomon Akobanyam, reminded the congregation of the relevance of persons with disabilities and appealed to them to elect them into the local level structures.

He said some disabilities were as a result of society’s actions or inactions and that everybody potentially stood the risk of becoming disabled in one way or the other and so such persons must be accorded respect and dignity.

He appealed to the youth, especially women, to contest the upcoming local level election and thanked the European Union for supporting the NCCE towards local level education.

The Commission later met the Gbedema Women’s Association and urged them not to shy away from contesting in the election.