Today's newspaper review begins with news from the Ghanaian Times which brings to our knowledge that Chief Superintendent David Eklu, the Ashaiman Divisional Police Commander has pledged the determination of the police to ensure peace and stability during Election 2012. Chief Supt Eklu who made the pledge at a meeting with representatives of the various political parties and other stakeholders in the municipality said the police would count strongly on their support and cooperation to bring about the desired peace and stability in the area.
In a related issue, the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, has appealed to citizens of Gomoa to comport themselves throughout the campaign for the December polls as they did during the biometric voter registration. He said unlike other areas where the centers for the exercise virtually became boxing rings, no adverse report was received from any of the registration centers in the two Gomoa districts. The Crusading Guide quotes him as saying "make December polls also peaceful"
Similarly Ghanaians have been asked to be advocates of peace as the Apostolic Administrator of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese of the Catholic Church, Most Rev. Matthias Kwabena Nketsiah, has urged Ghanaians to be advocates of peace now, during and after the December general elections. According to the Crusading Guide, Most Rev. Nketsiah said 60% of Ghanaians are Christians and expressed concern that on both the television and radio stations only "factionalism and enmity are highly preached contrary to the peace the nation requires".
The national chairman of the Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association,Torgbi Massa Alowonu has appealed to the members of the association to unite and pray for absolute peace in the December election. "Let us all do our best to pray to God and also to invocate the spirits of our dear ancestors for a peaceful election in December," he said. The Ghanaian Times on page 12 reveals this in the headline Traditional Healers Association prays for peaceful election.
The Daily Graphic under its banner Security Services, stakeholders embark on peace march informs readers that members of the security services and major stakeholders defied an early morning downpour to embark on a joint security service peace march to drum up national cohesion and sustenance of peace and stability for election 20102. The paper adds that service personnel from the police, prisons, immigration, fire service, and civil society organs such as political parties, the media, and the electoral commission re-assured the populace of the security agencies preparedness for a peaceful election when they went through some selected principal streets in the metropolis from the police Headquarters, Pedu Junction to the Jubilee Park (Victoria Park) amid brass band music from the police band.
News from the Daily Guide indicates that OAD Calls for Peace, saying that the Organization for African Development (OAD) has urged Ghanaians to allow peace to prevail as the nation prepares for the 2012 general elections in December. According to the president of OAD, Bonaventuer Aguissi the organization is basically promoting peace among the people of Ghana to ensure violence-free elections.
In a related development the Crusading Guide states that Bishop Charles Agyin-Asare, Presiding Bishop of the Word Miracle Church International (WMCI), on Sunday implored Ghanaians to resolve to conduct the December polls in a peaceful manner, in order to emerge as a united nation after the declaration of the results. Bishop Agyin-Asare said even though Ghanaians were passionate about choosing a leader, they must not allow themselves to be divided by the upcoming elections. The paper reports this with the quote let's come out of the elections a united nation.
Ahead of the December polls political parties have been urged to refrain from making defamatory statements. The Klomahefalor (Krobo State Defender), Nene Odeopeo Azago Kwesitsu, has made a passionate appeal to the leaders of the political parties to refrain members within their parties from making statements that would lead to chaos and anarchy as the country goes to the poll in December. According to the Daily Graphic, this, he said was because most of such statement emanated from young politicians, especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In a similar story and from the Daily Guide, the Nasara Club of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has appealed to all politicians to accept to play by the rules of fairness, decency and responsible conduct. This, it said, was the only way to grow the country's multi-party democracy and stave off confusion and needless tension. The paper reports this with the headline NPP group calls for decency and responsible conduct on the part of politicians.
Also from the Daily Graphic is a report that NR takes steps to ensure decent electioneering. A council of eminent person has been inaugurated in Temale to monitor and oversee activities of political party players to ensure sanity in the campaign towards the December polls. Known as the Civil Campaigns Reports Council, members would come up with strategies that would ensure that the metropolis, considered as one of the political hotbeds in the country witnesses very peace political campaign that would lead to an incident- free election in the area and the rest of the Northern Region.
The Ghanaian Times also informs us that WILDAF launches 'Vote for Women Campaign', adding that a project dubbed: 'vote for women campaign' , was launched in Accra on Thursday by the Women in Law and Development in African (WILDAF) to canvass for votes for women to contesting this year's parliamentary election. The campaign also aims at adopting practical strategies.
The Daily Guide brings to our notice that at long last, the biometric registration of inmates of the country's prisons takes place today, the first time ever, but not without challenges as many are left out of the exercise, causing consternation in the security facility. Many of the prisoners have complained about what they regard as a selective registration of inmates blaming the short coming on the prison officials. The paper captures this with the headline Prisoners cry foul over selective Biometric.
Away from that, we move on to activities from the political parties and the Daily Guide tells us that the flag-Bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, received a rousing welcome at almost every community he went to in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East region. This was on the first day of the second round of his listening tour of the region. The paper quotes him as saying 'Better Days Ahead'.
The Daily Graphic also reports that Nana, Bawumia address youth forum. The Flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party, NanaAddo Dankwa Akuofo Addo, rounded off his campaign tour of the Northern Region on Saturday with a youth forum in Temale which was aimed at gauging the expectation of the youth. The paper adds that though intended to be a youth forum, event which was held at the forecourt of the veterans Association of Ghana Building, turned out to be mini rally as party supporters from all walks of life thronged the venue to share the euphoria.
Mr. Kofi Akpaloo, the flag-bearer of Independent People's Party, has reiterated his commitment to transform Ghana into an industrial nation when elected as the President. He told a cross section of the people in Ho on Wednesday that he has been given the assurance by God that come December 7,this year President Mills would hand over power to him, the Ghanaian Times reports.
Closing the chapter on today's newspaper review is news from the Daily Graphic which indicates that a deputy minister of Information, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has charged the youth of the country never to make the mistake of voting for property owning democrats to rule the country. According to him, property owning democrats like the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had no scruples and principles and would mortgage the cause of the nation for their individual selfish gains. The paper states this under the banner 'don't vote for property owing democrats.'
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.
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