Violence in Ablekuma North: the law must prevail

 The electoral violence that occurred during the re-run of elections in the Ablekuma North Constituency last Friday is deeply troubling and must be condemned in no uncertain terms.

Reports that unidentified in­dividuals disrupted the electoral process and physically assaulted some voters, including a former Minister of State should alarm all well-meaning Ghanaians. These acts of lawlessness threat­en the very foundations of our democratic experiment and must not be allowed to fester.

It is important to state that the brutish and barbaric act wit­nessed during the re-run at Able­kuma North is not the first of such electoral violence witnessed under the Fourth Republican era.

Our democratic journey under the current constitution is replete with a number of such unfortunate incidents and one can conveniently mention the violent attacks on voters and political opponents during the Chereponi, Akwatia, Atiwa West, Talensi and most recently, Ayawaso West Wuogon constitu­encies by-elections.

It is very sad and unfortunate that more than three decades into our democratic journey, the country continues to witness such unfortunate incidents.

It is in the light of this that We on The Ghanaian Times com­mend the swift and unequivocal condemnation of last Friday’s unfortunate happenings by the Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak and his assurance to the nation that perpetrators of the violence will be fished out and punished in accordance with the law.

It is heartening to hear that video evidence has already been forwarded to the Inspector Gen­eral of Police and that efforts are underway to bring the culprits to justice. However, we must em­phasise that words alone are not enough as the Ghanaian people expect results.

The culture of impunity that has historically surrounded political violence must end, and this incident presents the gov­ernment and law enforcement agencies with an opportunity to demonstrate that no one is above the law in our country.

The excuse that perpetrators “vanish” after their crimes, while understandable, cannot be a justification for inaction. The state must resource the security services adequately and invest in intelligence to track and appre­hend those responsible, regard­less of their political affiliation.

It is also significant that the Interior Minister has reminded political parties of the Vigilan­tism and Related Offences Act, which prohibits the formation and operation of party-affiliated militia groups.

That reminder is timely and must be enforced without fear or favour.

It is important to drum home the fact that Ghana’s democ­racy cannot be held hostage by groups of political thugs whose only mission is to sow fear and chaos during elections.

Indeed, as we look ahead to the Akwatia by-election, The Ghanaian Times urges the security agencies to take a cue from the Ablekuma North incident and deploy robust, impartial mea­sures to ensure the safety and integrity of the polls.

We believe that elections must be contests of ideas, and not battlegrounds of violence.

To this end, we call on all po­litical actors to exercise restraint and place the national interest above partisan gain. Ghana has come too far in its democratic journey to allow violent actors to reverse the gains of the Fourth Republic.

Let the law work. Let justice be done.

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