All is set for the district-level election scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, December 19, 2023, in the Upper East Region. This is according to the Upper East Regional Director for the Electoral Commission, William Obeng Adakwarh. He made this known when he spoke with A1 Radio’s Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show today, Monday, December 18, 2023.
In the Upper East Region, a total of 947 people have presented themselves as candidates to be voted for. 25 of the total candidates, representing 2.6 percent, are women.
“We have continued with our preparations ahead of the election. As I speak, every material needed for the election has been dispatched to the various districts. District Officers, Deputy Returning Officers, and Returning Officers are also doing what we call packing, and then early tomorrow, they will rise and do the distribution to the various polling stations for the commencement of polls tomorrow.”
Mr. Obeng Adakwarh added that there has been effective collaboration between the EC and the Ghana Police Service to ensure that all participants in the process are protected. The EC has also, according to the Regional EC Director, presented the police service with locations considered as flashpoints. The police are expected to strategize ahead of the elections accordingly.
“We have been working hand in hand with the security service from day one. We have supplied them with the names of what we call flashpoints,” he said.
The National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) is confident that there will be improved participation in the district-level election scheduled for Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
Fredrick Mawuli Agbenu, the Upper East Regional Director for the NCCE, speaking on A1 Radio’s Mark Smith, expressed confidence that the NCCE’s work, along with the efforts of other state and non-state agencies in furthering education on elections, has resonated well with the general population.
“In fact, this year, we are seeing a revitalization of the grassroots, and more people are becoming interested in going out there to vote. If you look at the number of people who have presented themselves as candidates, you can see a whopping 60 thousand plus people who have offered themselves to be voted for. What we are telling the people is that these are the individuals or representatives who are going to be controlling your district assembly common fund. Therefore, go out there to vote to ensure that the right persons are sent to the assemblies to control your community fund.”
“These representatives live with us. You can just walk out and meet them in their houses and present your issues to them. The MP and the president are far away. The President, you may see him once in your lifetime or see him on television, but the assembly member and the unit committee members would be with you within the community, and you can always take your issues to them for onward submission to the assemblies,” he said.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
