The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, has called on the major actors in the December 7 elections to pursue actions that will sustain the peace in the country after the elections, insisting that they should stick to truth in everything they do.

Describing the role of the Electoral Commission (EC), especially, as crucial, Togbe Afede advised the commission to ensure that its conduct was above board to engender confidence among the electorate.

The traditional ruler said each stage of the electoral process was important and required diligence, transparency and honesty, hence the need for the election management body to adhere to the highest standards during the compilation and declaration of results.

He said the commission held the key to whether the country would have peaceful elections or not, and that if the processes were not seen to be fair, it could throw society into chaos.

Elaborating on secret, transparent voting, he said the voter must be seen throughout the voting process, thus, the voting booth must be open to observers while a voter was in the booth to ensure that nobody brought extra ballot papers from home.

Togbe Afede also charged the security services to perform their roles in a manner that would convince the electorate that they were independent and non-partisan.

“I urge our security agencies, our security personnel, our men in uniform to do their best in the interest of Ghana.

The effect of violence does not discriminate between people. If you are a soldier, you might be free because you are secure in your barracks but your relatives are not in the barracks. Similarly, if you are a police person, you have relatives who are civilians,” he pointed out.

Consequences

He stressed that the upcoming election would have consequences on the country’s efforts to emerge from the current economic situation.

He explained that presently, many Ghanaians were desperate to see development and the direction the country would go, and that depended on the outcome of the election.

“For the first time in our history, government has defaulted on its debt payments, with serious consequences for many of us. We've seen pensioners lose their savings, we've watched so many things happen, some of the worst things I could not have imagined.

“The destruction of our lands, water bodies, and all of that. These are serious. For once, Ghanaians want a change in their living circumstances; the stakes are very high,” he added.

He was, however, quick to add that life must go on after December 7 since the election could not be a do-or-die affair, adding that the most important thing was for Ghanaians to continue to enjoy the peace that had become part of their national character.

Togbe Afede XIV gave the advice during an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic ahead of the general election.

He said what was important to calm Ghanaians down was their belief in the processes leading up to the elections, including voting, collating results and transmission. He added that when all these were done fairly, people would be reasonably calm.

Traditional rulers

Togbe Afede XIV, who is a former member of the Council of State, urged traditional leaders to educate their people to understand the importance of peaceful elections, the dos and don’ts of an election, and also emphasise that the development they desired would not be achieved in the absence of peace.

He urged youth groups to insist on the right things being done before, during and after the elections, adding that they must not allow themselves to be used by politicians to cheat in the elections or foment any form of trouble.

He said any politician who would offer them money to cheat in the elections or foment trouble had stolen the money so they should not encourage politicians to steal the people’s money.

Describing monetisation in the country’s politics as one of the bad experiences in the country’s democracy, the Agbogbomefia said it had bastardised the election process whereby the highest bidder won.

“The youth must be at the forefront in fighting this because the future belongs to them and secondly, because they are the ones who are typically used. All these money bags are our money and they use that to buy their way to power and to continue to take our money,” he said.

The statesman urged all Ghanaians to stay united before, during and after the elections to maintain the country's image for its relative peace across the sub-region and Africa.