ACP Vance Gariba in a group photograph with the parliamentary candidates for korle klottey, Ayawaso east and central in a group photograph after the dialogue series
Some parliamentary candidates have called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to educate them on Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) 94, which will regulate the December general elections.
This, according to them, would give them the opportunity to also train their members in the constituencies to effectively discharge their duties during the elections.
Henry Quartey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso Central, who doubles as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, made this appeal on behalf of his colleagues at a dialogue series organized by the Nima Divisional Police Command for all the parliamentary candidates in the division to discuss security issues in Accra.
Present at the event were Dr Zenator Agyeman-Rawlings, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Korle Klottey Constituency, Lawyer Philip Anderson, NPP parliamentary candidate for Korle Klottey, Nii Noi Nortey, an independent candidate of Korle Klottey, Henry Quartey, Opare Addo, CPP parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso East, Peter Mireku, NPP candidate for Ayawaso East and others.
Officials of the EC in the Ayawaso and Korle Klottey, as well as the district police commanders of the areas, were in attendance.
Some constituency chairmen and members of the District Election Security Taskforce were also present.
The various aspirants pledged their support for peace in the area.
Lawyer Philip Addison urged the police to act professionally on the election day.
He said they would work hard to sustain peace in Korle Klottey Constituency.
The Nima Divisional Police Commander, ACP Vance Gariba, in an address, said the police would not countenance the use of ‘machomen’ by some of the candidates to create commotion of December 7.
He said even though it’s the right of the political parties to police the ballot boxes, it should be done within the confines of the law.
ACP Gariba urged the candidates to educate their supporters on the electoral laws and not flout them.
“Even though the police have identified some hotspots within the various constituencies, there is the need for us to engage the constituency executives and their candidates in a dialogue to mitigate the concerns to bring peace.
“I assure you that the police on that day will provide equal opportunity and platform for all so please all grievances must be shared for peace to prevail.”
Hagar Rachel Owusu, the Korle Klottey District Electoral Officer, on her part, said candidates who want their agents to be trained by the EC can officially write to the commission.
She said the EC was already training all officers who would be deployed on the election day, adding that they have made provision for standby officers to serve as backup on December 7.
BY Linda Tenyah-Ayettey