Reverend Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, has raised alarm over the lack of effective measures by successive governments to address electoral violence.
He noted that Ghana’s elections have repeatedly been plagued by violence, with the latest incident in 2020 resulting in eight deaths and multiple injuries.
In a recent interview, Reverend Opuni-Frimpong called on the government to follow through on the recommendations made in response to the 2020 election violence.
He questioned why leaders have not shown greater concern about these issues, stressing that the problem of electoral violence and fatalities is not new.
As Ghana approaches the 2024 elections, Opuni-Frimpong emphasized the need for the government and the Ghana Police Service to provide evidence of progress in the investigations, even if they are not yet completed.
He insisted that identifying and prosecuting those responsible for the deaths, and potentially compensating the victims’ families, is crucial for maintaining peace.
Additionally, he urged political parties to address any statements that could incite violence and to manage internal conflicts constructively.
Rev. Opuni-Frimpong called for leaders within both the NPP and NDC to publicly denounce harmful rhetoric and to take responsibility for preventing violence. “It’s troubling that neither party has leaders who openly condemn unacceptable comments from their members,” he observed.
