Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia has called on the Ghana Police Service to uphold professionalism and integrity in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Dr. Bawumia stressed the importance of a peaceful and violence-free election to consolidate the country’s democracy.
Since returning to constitutional democracy in 1992, Ghana has successfully organized eight presidential and parliamentary elections. However, in Ghana’s election cycle, electoral violence remains protracted, adversely affecting lives and properties.
Similar to the previous seven elections, victims in the electoral violence cases recorded in the 2020 elections are yet to get justice despite persistent calls from various organizations and the public for the Ghana Police Service/National Elections Security Task Force (GPS/NESTF) to speed up investigations and provide regular information to the public on the status of these cases. There have also been calls for the speedy trial of the cases which have been processed for court.
A total of eight lives, including three minors were lost during the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. They are Zakaria Samira, 12, Musah Fuseini, 14 Botwe Tackie, 16, Abdallah Ayarek, 18; Tajudeen Mohammed, 41, Dompreh Emmanuel, 36, and Abass Ibrahim whose age was not stated.
About 15 other electorates also received various degrees of injuries mostly from gunshots.
Speaking at the 52ND cadet officer’s graduation on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at the police academy in Accra, Dr. Bawumia who also serves as the chairman of the police council said the graduation of the officers aligns with the critical period as the nation prepares for the presidential and parliamentary elections.
Story by: Osei Akoto / Ahotoronline.com
