The National Peace Council has underscored the importance of addressing the isolated incidents of violence occurring at some registration centers during the current limited voter registration exercise.
They emphasize that if these incidents are not contained, they could escalate and affect the integrity of the upcoming December 7 elections.
In an interview with Citi News, George Amoh, the Executive Secretary of the Peace Council said “For us at the peace council, whenever an issue like that comes up, like the one that happened, unfortunately, at some part of the Ashanti Region, are early warning signs, you do not downgrade them.
“You have to carefully assess the potential they have to affect the elections in December. They are signs that we have to sit up but they are not signs to discourage us,” he stated.
Mr. Amoh also urged the Electoral Commission to make the most of the available opportunities to ensure that a greater number of eligible individuals get registered.
This follows the Electoral Commission (EC) stating that the violence witnessed during the limited voter registration period justifies its proposal to exclusively use the Ghana Card for registration.
The commission noted that it had witnessed violence at some centers linked to challenges regarding the age and citizenship status of some registrants. However, the commission believes that such incidents could have been avoided if the Ghana Card had been the sole document required for registration.
The Executive Secretary of the council, George Amoh, speaking to Citi News, stressed the importance of utilising existing opportunities to include as many eligible voters as possible who are not yet registered
“What we should be concerned about is how we can contain how we can allow for spillover or not spread in order that we cannot contain it. So, I would like to encourage the Electoral Commission to continue with the processes that it has laid down for all these years to ensure that they get the right people, I mean those who are supposed to be on the register. None should be disenfranchised because of somebody’s issue.
“So, we must maximise the opportunities that we have to get as many people who are yet to be on the register to be on the register. I think that should be the approach of the EC,” he stated.