CODEO Urges IGP To Step-up Investigations Into Election Violence

Security personnel, Chairman of the National Peace Council, Prof. Emmanuel Asante, and officials of CODEO in a group photograph after the opening ceremony.

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, and the Ghana Police Service to step-up investigations into election-related violence.

Acting Chairman of CODEO, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, made the call on Monday, October 19, 2020, at the opening session of a three day National Training of trainers workshop for 30 regional coordinators of CODEO.

The objective of the workshop is to prepare and equip CODEO’s Regional Coordinators to manage the Coalition’s Election-Day observation activities in their respective regions, and with the necessary skills to organize cascade training for CODEO observers in respect of Election-Day observation activities.

According to the Acting Chairman, “CODEO has been concerned about the incidents of election-related violence which has been recorded so far as the country prepares to go to the December polls.”

“CODEO once again, urges the Inspector-General of Police and indeed, the Ghana Police Service to step-up investigations into such cases and to update the general public on the progress and outcomes of these investigations,” he said.

“This is very necessary for dealing with impunity for electoral violence,” he said.

“The credibility of the election outcomes is critical and CODEO understands that this desired outcome can only be made possible if all stakeholder institutions and actors play their mandated roles with unwavering diligence,” according to him.

“Thus, all stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, political parties, security agencies and civil society organizations have complementary and collaborative roles to play in ensuring that the election is touted by all as free, fair, transparent, peaceful and safe.”

“That said, CODEO, the largest citizen observer group in Ghana is poised to mobilize its 42-member organizations to contribute to the attainment of the earlier mentioned outcomes. I will subsequently highlight the interventions that CODEO seeks to undertake in this general election.”

“CODEO’s 2020 elections project is anchored on the implementation of three key interventions that traverse the pre-election, Election-Day and post-election phases.”

These interventions, he mentioned, include the promotion, in partnership with the NCCE, of community-level Civic, Voter and Peace Education activities across the country; the deployment of election observers from the pre-election phase through Election-Day, to the post-election period; and the implementation of a Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) which will enable the Coalition to verify the accuracy of the 2020 presidential election results. Beginning this week, District NCCE Directors and CODEO Civic/Voter/Peace Educators will be coming together to roll out civic education activities in all districts of the country.”

DCOP Dr. Pabi Gariba, Director of Operations, Ghana Police Service/National Election Security Task Force, in a brief remark,
stated that the security for 2020 elections must be of concerned to everyone.

He said security is a shared responsibility, urging that there must be the commitment from the political parties, and all stakeholders to ensure that the elections are peaceful.

By Melvin Tarlue