Political parties in Bawku pledge peace for 2024 elections

The leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have resolved to ensure peace before, during, and after the 2024 elections in all six constituencies in the Bawku area.

They made this decision in a joint communique after a two-day engagement session organized by the Belim Wusa Development Agency

Read full article(BEWDA) and funded by the European Union (EU) through COGINTA-Ghana, Graphic Online reports.

The constituencies covered by this agreement are Pusiga, Bawku Central, Garu, Tempane, Binduri, and Zebilla.

Both parties agreed to organize a joint peace walk through the principal streets of Bawku, supported by security agencies, as part of their efforts
to promote peace.

According to Yussif Otumba, the NDC Communications Officer for Bawku Central, the rank and file of both parties have been urged to avoid incitement and to cooperate rather than antagonize each other. They emphasized the need for a peaceful atmosphere during the electoral processes at the polling stations.

Regarding the upcoming voter registration exercise scheduled by the Electoral Commission (EC) from May 7 to May 27, 2024, the parties appealed to the EC to deploy at least four biometric registration kits in strategic locations.

This would enable the registration of those who were not registered during the previous exercise due to disagreements over the location of additional registration centers.

Ali Anankpieng, the Executive Secretary of the Upper East Regional Peace Council, highlighted the importance of the engagement with the political parties in de-escalating the Bawku conflict. He called for caution in the use of language on social media and in campaigns to maintain peace and security.

Peter Asaal, the Executive Director of BEWDA, expressed optimism that the agreed-upon activities would contribute significantly to maintaining peace before, during, and after the elections