The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Governance and Security has emphasised the need for security agencies, the Electoral Commission, political parties and the general public to promote and embrace the message of peace as the nation heads in the 2020 elections.

Speaking at a press conference on November 26, 2020, the Executive Director of West Africa Centre for Counter Extremism, Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar said for peace to prevail in the country, there must be a consented effort by institutions and the general public to achieve same.

He noted that as the election nears, there have been concerns over the activities of vigilante groups, reprisal attacks by party fanatics and use of inflammatory speeches on media platforms.

Mr Muqthar appealed to the police and relevant institutions to position the message of peace at the heart of every discussion.

To help achieve this, the Coalition of CSOs in Governance and Security launched the ‘One Ghana Peace Campaign’ that seeks to create awareness about peace and the dangers of violence.

The Coalition of CSOs in Governance and Security said it will work with partners across all the 16 regions and in all the 275 constituencies to mobilise eligible citizens to turn out to vote on election day without any fear of intimidation.

“We will conduct simultaneous voter education and information campaign against electoral violence. The education will feature information on the prevention of human rights violations”, Mr Muqthar said.

A worrying trend witnessed in the last few elections is the rise in spoilt ballot papers.

To help deal with the situation, the CSOs in Governance has pledged to educate the citizens on how to go about the electoral process.

This, according to Mr Muqthar will help reduce spoilt ballots while helping to make better-informed choices for citizens.

Touching on the hotspots identified by the security agencies, he urged the security agencies to step up their efforts in combating violence.

By Media1

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