A National Election Security Task Force and a Technical Committee to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections this November, has been inaugurated by the out-going Minister for Interior Mark Woyongo.
The inauguration of the National Election Security Task Force was held at the National police headquarters.
The task force will comprise of representatives of all government security institutions in the country, i.e. the Police, Military, Immigration, Fire Service and Custom Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, representatives of the Electoral Commission, Research Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ministry of Local Government.
This task force is aimed at providing the right platform to deal with all security issues in a coordinated manner before they degenerate into bigger national problems.
According to Mr Woyongo, the task force will be replicated in the other nine regions with each regional and district head providing a number of personnel who will serve on the various technical sub-committees at the national task force.
“In view of the importance we attach to this year’s elections and for that there is the need to coordinate all matters of election security across the country, this task force has been replicated at the regional and district levels,” he said at the inauguration.
He also noted the importance of security agencies planning ahead with the elections in mind so as to provide the needed security to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections.
“We all know that election security planning is not an event. It is a process which begins several months prior to the Election Day to ensure effectiveness,” he said.
“It is in this regard that it has become imperative to activate the national, regional and district election security task forces which will plan, monitor, coordinate and implement the security details of the upcoming elections…” he added.
Mr Woyongo also stressed, apart from the mandated task force, no other security group, be it private or political will be allowed to provide any form of security for the forthcoming elections.
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Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana