Upper East Regional Director of NCCE, James Abdulai Ayaala
The Upper East Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), James Abdulai Ayaala, has charged Ghanaians to work in collaboration with the security agents in the wake of the impending 2024 presidential elections.
He made the call in an exclusive interview with Sarah Bandal Dubure, who paid a call on him in his office.
He noted that there is the threat of violent extremists along neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, hence the need for all to be on their guard.
He advised that people should be alert by observing the people around them and report suspicious characters to the security agencies.
“They should ensure that every movement of people is observed and every suspicious characters are reported to the security agencies for them to swiftly do their investigations so that the necessary arrangements are made so that the law will take its course,” he advised.
The NCCE Director observed that this year’s election is quite a critical one.
“This year’s election is a bit different in the sense that the former president is contesting with another key person that is the sitting vice president,” he said
“And the stakes are high also because these two personalities also hail from the northern part of the country so is a big challenge to the people of Ghana in particular, people from the north,” he added.
He noted that elections are always a contest of ideas and not about exchanging of words that will cause mayhem.
He also noted that it is not a do or die affair, but a process that they have to go through to elect their leaders.
Mr. Ayala lamented over the high spate of hate speech and called for a stop to that, as it is not a healthy way to go.
“In recent times, we have had instances of people churning out hate speeches calling on people to attack people. Others also feel that they must win by hook or crook so nothing else is important unless they win”, he said.
He pointed that elections are just mere contest of ideas, and should be devoid of the inducing of fear in people.
“Elections are just mere contest of ideas. Your political manifestos are there to educate the public to sway them to whichever political party you belong to. It is not about putting fear in people”. He said.
He echoed that it is about selling party manifestos in order for people to buy into the ideas and promises of the party and build trust.
Mr. Ayaala conceded that Ghanaians do not understand the democratic process, and for that matter, always feel that tension must be built.
“It is because we do not understand the process involved. The process must be such that we go by the rules of engagement, so that at the end of the day, people will build trust in the political process so that whoever is elected, everybody comes to understand that the person was genuinely elected,” he said.
He indicated that it behoves on every Ghanaian to conduct themselves well before, during and after the elections.
He observed that violent extremists usually feed on confusion in a certain society and cause calamity, adding that the current situation in Bawku could be a fertile ground for violent extremists to strike.
For instance, the Bawku case like this, the violent extremists can easily creep in and incite one group and then create mayhem”. He caused
On the side of the political leaders, Mr. Ayaala opined that winning an election without the prevalence of peace is meaningless.
“When you win an election and there is no peace, it means you have done nothing. Peace on its own is not an end. It is a means to achieving a goal”. He said.
“Therefore if anyone thinks that he or she must cause mayhem to win an election, and you win without peace, that means your election is of no use”. He added.
The NCCE Regional Director advised the general public to make it a point to always verify any information that comes into the public domain, as some unscrupulous people deliberately disseminate false information to cause confusion.
He advised electorates to leave the voting scene right after casting their votes on the day of elections to avoid trouble. He added that they should not allow elections to cause division among them.
“It is important to leave in the sense that you are not a party representative at the polling station, neither are you appointed to protect the security at that polling station so you go home when it is 5:00 you come back”, he directed.
He stated that if one notices that their jubilation will incur the wrath of those on the losing side, they should move away from the scene and go home and jubilate.
The Region Director eventually sounded a word of caution to individuals who intend going to the polling stations on the day of elections to cause trouble, to desist from that, as the security agents will be on guard to handle them accordingly.
“The security agents will surely deal with you and the end result will be that you will be prosecuted and if you are found guilty, you will go to jail”. He warned.