2024 election: It’s impossible to govern a chaotic country; campaign with the intention to maintain peace — Peace Council to politicians

The National Peace Council has assured Ghanaians that it will work tirelessly to ensure peace is maintained before, during, and after the 2024 general elections.

In an interview on Joy News, the chairman, Dr. Ernest Adu Gyamfi, called on political actors to focus their campaigns on preserving the country's peace.

"Everyone is campaigning to win the attention of Ghanaians. Let's campaign with the intention to maintain the peace in the country," Dr. Adu Gyamfi stated.

He added, "It will be a disaster to win elections only to realise that the country is in chaos. How can you govern if the country is in chaos? The most important thing is to campaign and maintain our peace."

Dr. Adu Gyamfi revealed that the council has identified and mapped out hotspots for potential electoral violence and will pay close attention to these areas.

"The Peace Council has a map of all the hotspots of election violence in the country. We know where the hotspots are. We are giving attention to these places to minimise political tensions," he explained.

He also addressed the issue of political actors using vigilante groups to incite violence.

"The challenge is that there is a disconnect between the grassroots and the political actors. Some of the political actors hide behind vigilante groups to cause violence. We need to get to the grassroots. The major problem is how to get to the grassroots for them to understand what misinformation and disinformation can lead to," he noted.

Dr. Adu Gyamfi emphasised the need for Ghanaians to understand the severe consequences of electoral violence.

"It is important for the public to understand the concept of electoral violence. It is intended to manipulate the outcome of the electoral process. It runs through the whole electoral process and is done to manipulate it. If we allow these things to continue, it is likely to lead to more serious consequences," he warned.