The Bole District Office of the National Commission for Civic Education NCCE with support from the European Union has held a one-day workshop for about 40 political party youth activists in the District.
Youth from the ruling New Patriotic Party NPP, National Democratic Congress NDC, the Convention Peoples Party CPP, Peoples National Convention PNC, and the Progressive Peoples Party PPP were present.
Welcoming participants, the District Director of the Commission Mr. Stephen Ebo Koomson said the workshop aimed at promoting an issues-based campaign devoid of insults and personal attacks.
Bole District Police commander, DSP David Azumah, took the gathering through the ‘public order act’ of 1994 saying it is incumbent on all groups including political parties to give a 5-day prior notification to the police before holding public events.
He urged the youth to ensure that they are not use as agents to forment violence before, during and the general elections.
DSP David assured the participants that the police is prepared to police the general elections to its fullest in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency.
He however called for support from all residents within the constituency to support the police in ensuring violence free elections as he argued that elections are about ideas and not violence.
“In 2016 the general elections in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency was generally peacefully with few hiccups and I want us to do same this year not to mar the peace enjoyed in the constituency and Ghana at large,” DSP cautioned the youth activists.
The Savannah Regional Director of the Commission Mr.Issaka Zitor, took the gathering through the code of conduct for political parties and the vigilantism and related offences act of 2019.
He gave a background to the act and spelt out the various offences and the punitive measures associated with them.
He urged the youth to allow politicians to use them to cause trouble during the elections as he said the security will not spare anybody who flouts the regulations of the electoral process.
He added that if one has a challenge at any polling station,he or she should contact the Presiding Officer for redress to avoid any disturbances.
Speaking on preventable measures outlined in curbing covid- 19 is the wearing of nosemasks of which the director entreats all residents in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency and Ghana at large to wear the nose mask to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A representative of the Bolewura equally tasked the youth to desist from engaging in political violence because its adverse consequences are more suffered by the youth in an outbreak of such.
Participants were grouped and answered questions relating to building peace in the nation.
They also issued a communique pledging to uphold peace during the elections and beyond.
The objectives of the programme is for a peaceful 2020 elections and seeks further to sensitise the youth activist to their roles towards ensuring peaceful elections in 2020, engage the youth and identify their concerns about elections, solicit commitment of the activists towards ensuring peaceful elections and make the use of violence to resolve political differences unattractive.
Source: yagbonradioonline
