Ken Dapaah
The Ministry of National Security on Tuesday held a meeting with some officials of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), upon a request by the latter.
The meeting, which came after a call by the NDC Members of Parliament (MPs) for “neutrality” and “impartiality” from the state security agencies in the conduct of this year’s general election, discussed among others preparations by the National Election Security Task Force (NESTF) for the pending general election.
Recent criminal activities by some groups along the country’s eastern corridor, implications of peace and security of Ghana were also subjects of discussion at the meeting, the National Security Ministry said in a statement issued after the meeting.
According to the statement, on security arrangements for the presidential and parliamentary elections, the meeting again briefed the NDC officials on the preparations by the National Elections Security Task Force, and underscored that all officers of security agencies would be made to wear “identification tags.”
Additionally, a proper register of security officers will be kept for ease of reference, the officials of the ministry assured the NDC, and added that “all political parties would be engaged by the Elections’ Security Task Force to ensure their cooperation and compliance with security arrangements for the election.”
“Officials of the ministry also provided an overview of security threats posed by some groups along the country’s eastern corridor,” the statement disclosed.
It said in the ensuing discussions, the NDC delegation, while fully supportive of the need to defend and preserve Ghana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, also shared its own perspectives and concerns about recent developments in the Volta Region.
The statement noted that the meeting emphasized the need for transparency and continuing dialogue to build trust even as broader national security concerns were addressed, while the minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, assured of the government’s commitment to maintaining a conducive atmosphere for free and fair elections.
“Follow up meetings will be held and extended to other political parties,” the statement concluded.
Background
On November 5, 2020, the minority NDC MPs called on the state security agencies to show “neutrality” and “impartiality” in the conduct of this year’s general election, intimating that the biggest opposition party would not accept “intimidation in the name of National Security.”
Led by their leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who is also the MP for Tamale South, the NDC MPs demanded that the deployment of security personnel to the various polling stations across the country be left in the hands of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and his officers and “not any other category of men.”
He was reacting to a security briefing of the National Security Minister to parliamentarians on that Thursday during which the minister assured the NDC of a peaceful election.
By Ernest Kofi Adu