E/R COMMANDER PROMISES PEACEFUL ELECTIONS (PAGE 15)

Story: A. Kofoya Tetteh, Koforidua

THE newly appointed Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP George A. Anko-Bill, has given the assurance that his outfit would do its best to ensure that the December elections would be devoid of violence.
He, therefore, made a passionate appeal to leaders of the various political parties in the region to prevail on their followers to refrain from acts that would lead to violence.
The regional police commander gave the assurance when he met representatives of the various political parties in the region at the Eastern Regional Police Headquarters on Thursday
The meeting, which was attended by representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP)and the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the Electoral Commision, as well as the top brass of the police command in the region, was to see to how best to make the elections free, fair and peaceful in the region.
According to the regional police commander, periods of elections were normally tense, putting people’s destinies on the line with different tolerance levels that had to be contained within acceptable limits, and that it was the responsibility of the political parties to educate and prevail upon their followers not to do anything that would disturb the peace before, during and after the elections.
He, therefore, called on all stakeholers namely the political parties, EC, voters and the media to be circumspect in whatever they did during the election period, adding that his outfit would do whatever was necessary to make the elections violent-free in the region.
“For the political parties, we pray to you to intensify the education of your supporters to refrain from the ‘do or die’ perception of the elections so that the elections would be violent-free,” he stated.
He also cautioned newly-recruited policemen to be abreast of the electoral laws in order not to do anything that would cast a slur on the police profession.
The Eastern Regional Director of the EC, Mr Paul Boateng, said the EC as a referee would not favour any political party and advised against the use of “machomen” to intimidate voters.
He also appealed to the media to be circumspect in their reportage and refrain from using to words that would inflame tension.
The representative of the DFP, Mr Yaw Osafo Kantanka, appealed to other political parties to work together in the interest of peace and accept the results of the elections, adding that that would entrench the country’s democracy.
Others who contributed and called for peaceful elections were Mr Ernest Obeng of the CPP, Mr Asante Benjamin Oduro of the NPP and Mr Adukpo Cudjoe of the NDC.