Don’t supply alcoholic drinks to party activists during campaign – Adumah
Mr Kofi Adumah, Upper West Regional Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Tuesday appealed to political party leaders not to distributed alcoholic beverages to their party activists during political campaigns.
The distribution of alcoholic beverages, he explained, had accounted for misbehaviour of supporters that endanger lives and property as well as undermine the tenets of democracy.
Mr Adumah made this appeal during the inauguration of Wa Peace Contact Group representing political parties, royal gates of the Wa Paramountcy, religious sects and security agencies.
The programme which was sponsored by United Nations Development Programme also attracted participants from NCCE, non-governmental agencies and other social groups operating in the region.
The Regional Director of NCCE said political campaigns would “be peaceful and orderly if activists avoid the intake of alcohol that influenced them to engage in unimaginable negative activities.”
Mr. George Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, who chaired the function urged various royal families to document everything concerning their gates and paramountcies to avoid chieftaincy disputes after the death of sitting paramount chief.
“The disputes keep recurring because we do not have accepted documents that will guide the living after the death of a paramount chief,” he added.
Mr. Sarpong further appealed to religious and political institutions to make maximum use of the provisions of the Constitution rather than resorting to other unorthodox means of addressing conflicts.
“As human beings, we are bound to face conflicts on daily basis but it is how we go about it without violence that matters,” he urged.
Mr. Nuhu Saeed, Chairman of the group pledged that they would do everything possible to promote and sustain unity and peace during political, religious and chieftaincy programmes to serve as a beacon of hope in Africa.
“The good thing about this group is, we have a lot of youth who can talk to their colleague youth who are normally engaged in such disturbances,” he added.
Mr Saeed said they would use dialogue, education, mitigation and all other kinds of advocacy to ensure violent-free elections in December this year and other disputes.
Mr. Nuhu Iddris Saeed and Alhaji Abu Yahaya are the Chairman and Vice Chairman, while Mr. Matthew Bonys and Nuhu Iddris are Secretary and Assistant Secretary respectively.
Others are Amadu Salifu, Organising Secretary; Adams Fuseini, Assistant Organising Secretary and Mahama Yakubu, Treasurer.
Niamatu Kwara Ali is Assistant Treasurer, while Mohammed Samari is Contact Con-ordinator.