Victim of the brutal attack Gideon Nana Peprah
Article 89 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana demands that there shall be a Council of State to advise the President in the performance of his duties.
Whilst the President is mandated to appoint some members of the Council, the regional representatives are supposed to be elected.
A total of 155 candidates from all 16 regions contested for positions. According to the Electoral Commission (EC), the list of aspirants includes 145 males and 10 females. The candidates successfully went through the nomination process, which required them to meet specific eligibility criteria as set by the EC.
This included proving their Ghanaian citizenship, demonstrating good standing in society, and fulfilling all necessary administrative requirements before the nomination deadline.
Unlike parliamentary and presidential elections, the Council of State election is not open to the general public. Instead, the selection process follows an Electoral College system, where each of the 261 District Assemblies nominates two representatives, forming a pool of electors who will cast their votes to determine the final Council of State members.
The election which has over the years been held peacefully due to its non-partisan nature took a different turn.
A case in point is the Ashanti regional Council of State elections, which turned chaotic on Tuesday, 11 February, 2025.
On that fateful day, the election, which was being contested by twelve people, was going on smoothly until ragtag elements, believed to be supporters of Yaw Obimpeh, former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), besieged the premises where the polls were being held to cause commotion.
This electoral hooliganism, which marred the Ashanti Regional Council of State elections, raised serious questions.
What happened on the said day takes Ghana aback in that the use of brute force to change the outcome of elections is dangerous and must be condemned by all and sundry.
One does not need a seer to inform Ghanaians about the blot this electoral disturbances will have on Ghana’s democratic status.
The NDC is retrogressing democratic strides chalked by the country.
The disturbances which ensued nowhere than the – the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and the way the Ashanti Regional Security Council (AREGSEC), has handled this incident raises eyebrows.
The rate at which sponsored lawlessness is occurring under the John Mahama-led administration is worrying and must be a concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians.
Barely a fortnight after the historic electoral disturbances, which saw brutal attacks on officials of the Electoral Commission, journalists, among others, no arrest has been made.
Journalists, who play a crucial role in the protection of democracy, came under attack while going about their constitutional mandated duties without any provocation.
Also, staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) had their own share of the attack, as EC materials were destroyed right before the police forcing the EC to re-run the Ashanti Regional Council of State elections.
One would have thought that during the second election, which had the venue changed from the ARCC to the Prempeh Assembly, the region would have a peaceful poll, but it was not the case.
Intimidation of voters and contestants was rife during the day, as delegates were camped in order to vote for a certain candidate, raising questions about the credibility of the Ashanti regional Council of State elections.
Ghana has come a long way in its democratic journey and one would have thought that such tactics do not have a place in our democracy, however it appears that is the trump card of the John Mahama administration, where hoodlums can cause mayhem and go free.
If the NDC cannot uphold the tenets of democracy it inherited from former President Nana Akufo-Addo, then the party should not destroy the gains the country has made.
The use of brute force to change the outcome of election is a serious crime and could one day spell doom for Ghana. A stitch in time they say saves nine.
By David Afum, Kumasi