Security analyst Dr. Adams Bonaa has advised against deploying the military to polling stations for the December 7 elections.
He emphasised that the Ghana Police Service is well-equipped to manage security before, during, and after the polls, suggesting that routine military involvement in such operations should be discouraged.
“We are not under attack. The military can be deployed only during a state of emergency,” he said.
Speaking at a democracy lecture in Accra, themed “Ghana’s Democratic Development: Evaluating the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act 2019 for Ensuring Peaceful December 2024 Elections,” Dr. Adams Bonaa cautioned against deploying the military at polling stations.
Organized by Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (Care Ghana) in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), the event focused on addressing rising electoral violence and inflammatory rhetoric from high-ranking officials, aiming to foster transparency and ensure a peaceful, fair election on December 7, 2024.
Dr. Bonaa noted that despite the introduction of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act in 2019 to disband vigilante groups—including political vigilante groups and land guards—the number of such groups has increased, now totaling 72. He stated that although roughly 20 groups were officially disbanded, many have since re-emerged, some even integrated as “men in uniform” within various security services.
“Unfortunately, those who get involved in such acts are promoted. The danger is that those who perpetrated such acts are still in the system and in uniform.
“Some have modified their operations by forming private security companies to perpetrate the same atrocities in a disguised form,” he alleged.
Dr. Bonaa emphasised that these practices pose a serious threat to Ghana’s democracy and encouraged voters to reflect carefully, choosing leaders who prioritise accountability.