Think tank Election Watch Ghana is appealing to the Ghana Police Service to reconsider its deployment to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Primaries vis-a-vis national security.
“We acknowledge the importance of ensuring peace and order during this process,” it said in a statement on Thursday, January 22.
“Nonetheless, we express concern about the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of deploying such a large number of police officers, potentially at the expense of other security needs.”
This comes after the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, announced at the signing of a peace pact among aspirants on Thursday that at least 70 officers will be deployed per voting center.
At least, 277 centers will be mounted across the country for the exercise on Saturday, January 31.
Election Watch Ghana recommended a balance between public education and civic awareness by the police and deployment of more officers.
“With around 214,812 delegates expected to vote across 277 voting centers in 276 constituencies, we stress the need for enhanced public education on democratic processes and civic responsibility to reduce the need for heavy security deployment,” the statement jointly signed by Mark Ewusi Arkoh and Jude Balma, convenors of Election Watch Ghana, said.
According to them, public education will empower citizens with knowledge and encourage responsible participation.
“We believe that with proper planning and civic engagement, we can ensure peaceful and transparent elections while optimising security resources.”