National Elections Security Task Force deployed 41,000 personnel for elections

Story: Mary Mensah
THE National Elections Security Task Force (NESTF) yesterday deployed 41,000 personnel from all the security services to police the conduct of the general election at the various polling stations across the country.
There is also a standby force of  5,000 personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) which will be deployed at some strategic locations across the country.
Briefing  journalists in Accra yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, said the plans and strategies had been worked out to deal with any contingencies.
He said the security interventions that were put in place for all political activities led to peaceful electioneering across the country.
He acknowledged the effective contribution of civil society, religious bodies, educational institutions, among others, in the various sensitisation, orientation and continuous education programmes that the security services embarked upon in the run-up to the elections.
Mr Quaye said the core mandate of the police and other security services during the elections was to provide the necessary safe and secure environment for the smooth conduct of the elections throughout the country.
He said the security services were really poised and determined to ensure that Ghana’s envious credential as one of the most reputable, peaceful and stable democratic countries in the world was jealously protected and improved upon in today’s elections.
He said the NESTF had put in place early warning systems and quick response teams at strategic locations at the national, regional, divisional and district police headquarters to deal with any emerging events that had the potential to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the elections.
Mr Quaye, therefore, urged all peace-loving and law-abiding Ghanaians to go about their legitimate political and socio-economic activities freely and without fear or  intimidation because the security services were firmly in control of the peace, security and stability of the state which they had solemnly sworn to preserve.
“Aside these words of assurance, the security services want to use this forum and medium to strongly warn and counsel all individuals or groups who are nursing any plans to disrupt tomorrow’s elections through unwarranted  intimidation and violent  acts against voters by whatever form or means that we are strongly resolved, determined and equipped to confront such individuals or groups head-on, with all the force and power at our disposal and within the remit of the law and our mandate,” he stressed.
He said the warning and advice specifically were targeted at those who could be best described as election-day violence contractors and ballot box-snatching experts.
The IGP reminded them that since 1992, Ghanaians had chosen to travel along the path of democratic rule where “our leaders are chosen by the people through the ballot box”.
“These ballot boxes contain the sovereign will of the people and any person or group of persons who attempt to steal or destroy these ballot boxes are, by indication,  trying to subvert the sovereign will of the people and also by extension destroy the stability and peace of the nation,” he said.
Such election-violence contractors would be considered enemies of the state and be met with full force by the security agencies, Mr Quaye said.
“Let us continue to respect and believe in the competence, ability and integrity  of the Electoral Commission to conduct these elections fairly and transparently, since it has supervised and conducted several successful elections, both in Ghana and outside, since the inception of the Fourth Republic under the 1992 Constitution,” he said.