5,000 Soldiers For Elections

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Col Mbawine Atintande, Armed Forces PR

THE GHANA Armed Forces (GAF) will deploy about 5,000 personnel throughout the country as part of the election security taskforce instituted to deal with troublemakers and to ensure peace and security at the December 7 polls.

The Director of the Public Relations Directorate of the GAF, Col. Mbawine Atintande, who disclosed this at a press soiree organised by Public Relations Officers of Security Services in Ghana, indicated that the security agencies would leave no stone unturned to deal with people who would foment trouble during the general elections.

As part of the taskforce, the Ghana Prisons Service would also be providing about 2,000 personnel for election duties, Public Relations Officer of Prisons, Vitalis Ayeh disclosed.

Security personnel, Col. Mbawine indicated, would be deployed throughout the country three days ahead of the elections, adding, ?If everybody does their work well, there would be no problems on election day. The election security taskforce will do their bid and we expect all Ghanaians to also do their bid.?

According to him, all logistics had been provided for the security personnel to carry out their duties without any hiccups.

Members of the election security taskforce are drawn from the GAF, Prisons, Fire Service, Immigration Service and the Ghana Police Service.

Reacting to questions by DAILY GUIDE about rumours of some political parties collaborating with sections of security officers to snatch and swap ballot boxes on the day of elections, Col. Atintande said they were unfounded, indicating that the security agencies would not connive with any political party to steal the mandate of the people.

He added that it was the duty of all Ghanaians, particularly the media, to collaborate with the security agencies to ensure there was free, fair and violent free election since it was a shared responsibility to keep the peace in the country.

The press soiree was to provide an opportunity for Public Relations Officers of the security services to interact with the media and explore ways in which the two bodies could work together to promote peace, safety and security for the development of the country. 

Answering questions from the media, the Public Relations Officer of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Robert Mensah, reiterated that the security taskforce would not connive with any political party to rig forthcoming elections.

He urged the media not to inflame passions or disseminate falsehood during the elections as this could cause chaos and disturb the peace in the country.

?We should cross-check our information before we report so that we do not carry falsehood,? Mr. Mensah reiterated.

Among those who contributed during the event were Elis Robinson of the Ghana Fire Service and Akapko Moses Manford of the Ghana Immigration Service.

 By Awudu Mahama

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