PRESS RELEASE
TO: ALL MEDIA HOUSES
DATE: 13TH AUGUST 2024
AFRICAN ELECTORAL INSTITUTE (AEI) URGES POLITICAL ACTORS TO BE CIRCUMSPECT IN THEIR CHOICE OF WORDS, LEADING TO THE 7TH DECEMBER 2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS.
The African Electoral Institute has noted with deep concern the utterances by some political activists during campaigns or on political platforms and wish to plead with them to eschew the use of incendiary language that has the potential to derail the forward match of our democracy if care is not taken.
The Institute with part of its core objectives being to ensure good governance and accountability in our electoral processes, wish to bring to the attention of all Political Parties and their assignees to focus on peaceful elections , by being responsible in their utterances as the nation gears up for the December 7th 2024 general elections .
The AEI acknowledges the significance of this electoral process and must remind all stakeholders that our words have consequences irrespective of where they are said and should be wary of that . Inflammatory language anywhere should not be encouraged or entertained since they have the potential of sowing seed of discord, fueling unnecessary anxiety among citizens, and potentially destabilizing our beloved country.
Let’s all be reminded of the meaning of multiparty democracy which is enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. The Ghana constitution allow for healthy divergent views. The current constitution of Ghana has clearly stated how power should be won, and that is by winning elections conducted by the Electoral Commission in a free, fair, transparent and accountable manner and the ultimate winner declared as such by the Chair of the Electoral Commission. Any other means aside from what the Constitution has stipulated, will be illegal, unlawful, and will be tantamount to usurping the power of the people through unconventional means, which is unacceptable
The African Electoral Institute will want to encourage the Security services, including National Security to take such utterances that has the potential to jeopardize our democracy and country seriously by arresting or inviting such people for investigation and where possible, put them before the law courts to have them dealt with. It is dangerous to always sweep such issues under the carpet because one can not tell how their audience interpret or think about such messages before it is too late.
The Institute urges all political actors to prioritize constructive dialogue, respect for each other, and peaceful competition. Elections is a competition and not a call to war and as such let us focus on issues, policies, and the vision they have for Ghanaians now and the future, rather than resorting to fear mongering or stoking fire where there is non
In conclusion, the AEI wish to appeal to all well meaning Ghanaians, the Clergy, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Council of State, the Catholic Bishop Conference, the Christian Council, Office of the Chief Imam and the Muslim Council, the Peace Council and the International Community in Ghana to use their advice and influence to bring to bare on all of us to do the right thing to further entrench our democracy and country come 7th December 2024.
SIGNED:
Deputy Director of Communications andExternalRelations
Joshua Nii Adjin-Adjin
African Electoral Institute ( AEI) is a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) founded to deliver sustainable electoral solutions to Emerging and Developed Democracies to strengthen, augment, and build electoral stakeholders capacity and participation on electoral issues through electoral education on voter’s rights and freedom, electoral research, election monitoring, election observation, election results collation, election security awareness and training of polling agents and elections directors underscoring the fact that “elections are won at the polling stations’’ and the participation of all identifiable electoral stakeholders in an electoral process such as Political Parties, Governmental Institutions, underpinning transparency and accountability for a free, fair, and credible elections in Africa and the wider world.
Motto: “Integrity of Choice”