The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) is urging the Electoral Commission (EC) to ensure the prosecution of individuals arrested for inciting violence during the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.
Instances of violence have occurred at registration centers across various regions, including Kukuom in the Ahafo Region, Adugyama in the Ashanti Region, and Cape Coast in the Central Region.
Albert Arhin, the National Coordinator at CODEO, emphasized the importance of prosecuting these individuals, stating it as a crucial deterrent against future similar actions.
During a press conference on Tuesday, May 14, Mr. Arhin highlighted that the failure to take legal action would only embolden others to engage in disruptive behavior during electoral processes.
He urged security agencies to swiftly apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the disturbances, stressing the importance of impartiality and diligence in the process.
“The culprits, those who indulge in these election malpractices are to be punished. And the citizenry should see that these people are punished.
“The moment you just make a wishy-washy kind of arrest, then we don’t hear anything again, people will always want to do it again. So when we arrest them, let us prosecute them so that it serves as a deterrent to others.”
“If we don’t punish, people will think that it is something that everybody can do and they will go on committing and committing and committing these daily mistakes,” he said.
Furthermore, the Electoral Commission (EC) has expressed a comparable stance, calling on the Ghana Police Service to ensure that individuals accountable for the disruptions face legal action in court.