Upper West ISD intensifies public education on referendum

The Upper West Regional Information Services Department (ISD) has intensified sensitisation on the upcoming national referendum to amend Article 55 (3) of the 1992 Constitution.

The amendment of the article will allow partisan political participation in the District Level Elections (DLEs).

Parliament is working to amend article 243 (1) of the Constitution for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to be elected.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has also scheduled December 17, 2019 to hold the referendum towards the amendment of article 55 (3) alongside election of Assembly and Unit Committee members.

The amendment of article 55 (3) seeks to pave way for election of assembly members on partisan lines.

The ISD trained Information Officers in the region on the referendum in October this year to enable them disseminate the right information to electorates.

It has also resorted to the use of information vans in communities as part of efforts by the information officers to reach out to voters on the local elections and the referendum.

Mr Sinto Mostapha Nuhu, the Upper West Regional Director of ISD, told the Ghana News Agency in Wa that six vans were deployed to communities for the sensitisation exercise, urging electorates to participate in voting.

The Department also visited some churches and mosques to come out in their numbers to participate in the referendum for a "YES" or "NO" vote.

He appealed for adequate logistics such as vehicles to enable the ISD to to carry out public sensitisation programmes and activities of the state.

He said the ISD has only two functional vehicles in the entire Upper West Region and commended Wa West, Lambussie, Nandom and Sissala West district assemblies for releasing their vehicles to support the sensitisation process.

He said public education campaign was to help electorate to make informed decisions during the voting exercise exercise.

The ISD has planned to also use the traditional Authorities to reach out to voters with the message, irrespective of their geographical locations.

“Some of the people think that the referendum is to elect MMDCEs and that a"NO" vote means that MMDCEs will not be elected, and some also think that December 17 is for the election of MMDCEs,” Mr Nuhu.

According to him, a section of the public was advocating government to put in measures to ensure that traditional rulers were not left out in the assemblies if the process of electing MMDCEs went through.