Stop Going To Registration Centres With Guns - Peace Council Chairman

The Ashanti Regional Chairman for the National Peace Council, Rt Rev Christopher Nyarko Andam has called for a law to be passed to ban citizens from going to polling stations for either voter registration or voting with guns.

According to him, it is condemnable for people either than police officers and security men to be carrying around guns as it may cause havoc at the least provocation at the registration centres.

He made this reaction on JoyNews when someone claiming to be a national security personnel pulled a gun at a registration centre at Asawase in the Ashanti Region due to misunderstanding.

He again condemned the Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Hon. Hawa Koomson for firing her gun at a registration centre with the claim that her live was in danger as she was surrounded by some thugs suspecting to come from the camp of her opponent in the NDC.

“Peace council condemns such activities totally. What we are saying is that police officers and other security men are always detailed to be at the polling stations and polling centres. If you go there and you have any grievance, report to the police officers on duty if it is for protection,” he cautioned.

He further admonished that people should not take the law into their own hands to deal with anybody who might have offended them by pulling a gun but instead urged them to rely on the police officer on duty for protection.

He feared that failure to rely on the police officer on duty at the registration centres for protection but resort to taking the law into their own hands by pulling a gun may end up endanger the lives of people who have converge to take part in the registration exercise.

“The police officer is there to protect lives instead of you taking the law into your hands to deal with the person but the pulling of guns we will plead with all citizens that when you are going to a polling station is a place that is cloudy, people always converge there and if you are not careful and you pull a gun, you may kill,” he stated.

“It is wrong; it is becoming a phenomenon and we must put a stop to it at once before it escalates to something else. It is not good going to the polling station to register your name or going to vote with a gun; the place is not a battle ground,” he condemned.

“This is early signs and we must deal with them at once before it degenerates into something else. If possible, there should even be a law that nobody should take a gun unless maybe he is the person detailed to be the officer in charge of the polling station; no other person should go to the polling station with a gun,” he stressed.