The Ghana Police Service has announced that adequate security measures have been put in place for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) demonstration scheduled for Tuesday, September 17, 2024, in all 16 regional capitals.
At a press conference held at the police headquarters cafeteria, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Public Affairs, stated that the service has engaged extensively with the leadership of the NDC and the Electoral Commission in all regions to ensure a peaceful and orderly demonstration.
She noted that the agreed routes for the demonstration in all 16 regions have been duly communicated to the organizers, and they have been notified of their responsibilities under Section 3 of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491).
The Police Service urged the organizers and participants to adhere to the agreed arrangements and comply with all laws and regulations.
The public is also assured that the Police will maintain security, law, and order throughout the exercise and beyond.
Demonstration Routes and Guidelines
The agreed routes for the demonstration in all 16 regions and the organizers and participants are reminded of their responsibilities under Section 3 of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491), which include:
– Liability for damage to public property
– Obeying police directions to maintain order and avoid obstructing traffic
– Conducting themselves in a manner that avoids causing confusion, disorder, or obstruction of traffic.
The Enough is Enough demo came as a result of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) alleging that the recent findings from the unfit-for-purpose voters register are alarming and necessitate immediate attention. The discoveries include:
243,540 previous transfers illegally added to 2024 transfers, with repetition of illegally transferred names; 15,000+ unidentifiable voter transfer paths; 3,957 voters in 2023 register but deleted from 2024 Provisional Register due to transfer; 2,094 voters transferred to different polling stations but not found in Absent Voter List as required by Law; and corrupt files not showing names and photos of registered voters.
These issues the NDC said had raise critical questions about the extent of manipulation, system vulnerabilities, timeliness of the Provisional Register, impact of mistakes on the elections, historical comparisons, and the timeline for corrections.
To this they said is essential for forensic audit to address these concerns and ensure the credibility of Ghana’s electoral process.
The demo seeks to demand answers to these questions,safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections and ensure they reflect the true will of the people.
The NDC said the independent forensic audit is non-negotiable and essential for the following reasons:
– To determine the extent of manipulation and quantify the affected voters
– To identify system vulnerabilities and prevent further manipulations
– To understand the delay in providing the Provisional Voters Register
– To assess the potential impact of mistakes on the election’s fairness and integrity
– To learn from past errors and prevent similar issues
– To establish a timeline for addressing these issues before printing registers and materials.
The Police Service will ensure that the demonstration is peaceful and orderly, and urges the public to cooperate with them to achieve this goal.
