Freelance Journalist and Convener for Good Governance and Advocacy Group, Listowel Nana Poku, has called for the dissolution of the Peace Council on the basis that the Council has not effectively solved conflicts around the compilation of the new voters’ register.
In an interview with Kwame Afrifa Mensah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show, he said: “Peace Council should be dissolved because they don’t have any relevance. Their mandate is to ensure peace even before conflicts arise. Immediately you detect any issue that could disrupt the peace in the country, it is your mandate to settle these issues”.
He noted that the Electoral Commission (EC)’s insistence on going ahead with the new register is causing chaos and people who support the EC always base their argument on the independence of the commission.
He, however, argued that the independence of the EC does not mean that they cannot be held accountable for their mistakes. He illustrated his point by juxtaposing the independence of the EC to the independence of the judiciary. “It is true that the EC is independent. However, when they make mistakes, they must be held accountable. It is the same with the independence of the Judiciary. The laws are used when judges make mistakes”, he said.
Last month, the General Secretary of the Peace Council, George Amoh, in an interview on the Happy Morning Show, pointed out that political parties, the media and individuals should allow the EC exercise its mandate without intimidation.
He stressed that the EC has the mandate to make decisions that will maintain the peace of the country. “We have to allow the EC to work according to the laws of the country”, he added.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sued the EC over attempts to compile a new voters’ register ahead of the 2020 general elections; arguing that the EC can only compile a register of voters only once and thereafter, revise it periodically as may be determined by law.
The Supreme Court has directed the EC to provide legal reasons in the form of a supplementary statement to the case.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah