Election 2024: Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro NCCE opens inter-party dialogue committee

By Benjamin A. Commey

Accra, September 9, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro in Accra Metropolis has constituted a 40-member Interparty Dialogue Committee (IPDC) to promote election-related education and advocacy.

The committee will also serve as a forum for political parties, stakeholders and citizens to discuss electoral issues, promote tolerance and resolve potential conflicts in the Odododiodoo constituency.

It includes representatives of political parties, the Electoral Commission (EC), the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), religious leaders, traditional authorities, persons with disabilities, the police, women's and youth groups, and the media.

The Committee is chaired by Mr. Godwin Ayikpa, member of the EC, assisted by Mr. Benjamin Adams, Pastor of the Kingdomite Church.

Speaking at the inauguration of the committee in Accra at the weekend, Gabriel Bekoe Ofori, Deputy Director of NCCE at Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro, said the IPDC was a flagship programme launched by the commission as a proactive measure to ensure peaceful elections in the country.

He said the country had held eight successful elections over the years and therefore earned the title of “beacon of democracy in Africa”.

Mr Ofori pointed out that despite its democratic progress, Ghana still struggles to hold “violent-free” elections; eight people were killed in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

He stressed that tensions had increased just months before the 2024 elections and that immediate action was needed to defuse or reduce them before they escalated.

Mr. Ofori explained that the inauguration of the IPDC was the NCCE’s proactive attempt to prevent violence before, during and after the elections.

“NCCE hopes that IPDC members will work hard to maintain peace before, during and after the 2024 general elections,” he stressed.

Mr. Stanley Quaynor, Director of Accra Metro, NCCE, pointed out that past events, including the deaths during the 2020 elections, had put Odododiodoo Constituency in a position that would require hard work to recover.

At least two people were killed in the constituency during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

“As a result of the events of 2020, many eyes are on the Odododiodoo constituency,” said Mr Quaynor, instructing the committee to work to ensure that the constituency’s name is “written in gold”.

He also noted that many Ghanaians had lost interest in elections due to the current and past economic situation and urged the committee to encourage citizens to participate and cast their votes on election day.

Mrs Gloria Amarki Kudo, Deputy Regional Director of NCCE, stressed that Ghanaians must live together as one people despite religious and ethnic differences, saying that this is the only way the country can maintain its present peace and development.

Ahead of the 2024 elections, she warned the political class to watch their words, especially when it comes to religious prejudice, which could fuel anger and chaos.

Mrs Mercy Odoi, Director of Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro, urged political parties to abide by the laid down rules and refrain from defacing each other’s posters in order to maintain harmony.

“A political party is not about war or rivalry, but about the exchange of ideas,” she explained.

She also charged the Committee to work hard to defuse the tensions that characterised the elections in the Odododiodoo Constituency and to ensure peace and harmony before, during and after the December elections.

Mr Benjamin Adams, Vice-Chairman of the IPDC, assured that the Committee was ready for the task ahead and said: “We will not disappoint you.”

He urged committee members to always attend committee meetings to ensure that objectives are achieved.

GNA