The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Alhassan Yakubu, has urged the political parties to overcome intolerance to end the episode of doomsday hysteria.
He said it was important for them to get right with the law and to demonstrate genuine commitment to the peace, unity and stability of the nation.
There should be absolutely no reason for Ghanaians to live in fear and uncertainty over the choice of who should lead them, he added.
Mr. Yakubu was speaking at a forum held at Old Tafo in Kumasi to aid the people to have better understanding of the electoral laws and what they should not do on voting day.
The programme, jointly organized by the NCCE and the Small Arms Commission, brought together representatives of the political parties, traditional and religious leaders and youth groups.
The NCCE Director’s call comes amid reported nasty clashes between supporters of the two major parties – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in parts of the country.
He asked that everybody used the appropriate channels to get their grievances addressed, telling them that, taking the law into their own hands was not the right thing to do.
Mr. Yakubu warned that lawlessness and impunity could only throw the nation into turmoil.
He also underlined the need for all to respect the outcome of the ballot in good faith.
He counseled voters not to carry any offensive weapons to the polling centres on voting day and said any offender would be arrested to face the law.
Mr. Jones Applerh, Executive Secretary of the Small Arms Commission, said its research conducted in 2014 showed that many people were buying weapons for fear of being attacked.
He said that could pose real threat to the security of the nation in the event of an election conflict and this was something that all needed to work together to avoid.
He called for responsible conduct to dial down tension as the nation readied to go to the polls.
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