The Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has praised the Electoral Commission for the media’s involvement in the recent IPAC meeting, describing it as a crucial development for electoral transparency in Ghana.
In his remarks, he noted the stark difference between past meetings and the October 1st IPAC session, He asserted; “Yesterday’s meeting was healthy and assuring for me, because the involvement of the media houses in the meeting was something we’re witnessing for the first time.” Rev. Frimpong emphasized that the presence of media houses at the meeting eliminated the confusion that previously followed IPAC meetings.
“Now previously, you finished PAC meeting, and the takeaways from the meeting from the two main political parties in their interview made you ask yourself, are we coming from the same meeting? They contradict themselves. But now, you have the media in the house.”
Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa
He commended the Electoral Commission (EC) and all political parties, especially the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for advocating for the inclusion of the media in the meeting, and the EC’s subsequent acceptance of the proposal.
Addressing Electoral Issues Through Dialogue and Consensus
He pointed out that some of the critical issues raised by the NDC were discussed during the meeting, even if they were not fully resolved.
“I pray and hope that when we have challenges with our electoral process, we must still go for dialogue [and] consensus building. Yesterday, after the meeting, we realized that some key issues that the NDC had raised were addressed. If even not fully, at least they were brought to the table—the Pusiga issue, how now somebody can transfer voters without their knowledge. Something that had not been very common in our electoral system.”
Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa
He expressed relief that these issues were debated openly rather than resorting to protests.
“Instead of mobilizing people on our streets, sometime in 2016, somebody lost his life during this voter register contention. I pray and hope moving forward, we’ll do more of October 1st IPAC rather than getting people on our street.’’
The Importance of Legal Framework in Electoral Demands
On the issue of multi-stakeholder and inter-party examination of the Electoral Commission’s IT systems, which the NDC demanded after the meeting, Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong expressed cautious optimism.
“The Electoral Commission functions on statutes. They work based on law or CI, and my position will be anything that is within the CI, why not? But we must also make sure that as we make our demands, we don’t kick against our own CIs.”
Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa
He expressed uncertainty about whether Ghana’s current laws support such a process but encouraged the testing of existing laws where possible. He reiterated; [“For instance,] in Kenya, you can call for a forensic audit of the registrar. I’m not sure we have that in our system in Ghana.”
Moving Forward with Dialogue and Consensus-Building
Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong reiterated his call for dialogue and consensus-building to resolve electoral challenges, stressing that this approach is far preferable to the confrontational tactics sometimes used in the past.
“I pray and hope moving forward, we’ll do more of October 1st IPAC rather than getting people on our street. We’ll be able to resolve all the challenges through consensus-building and dialogue.”
Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa
He emphasized that using dialogue rather than street protests could prevent harm to innocent people, as had occurred in previous electoral disputes.
“We must also know that the whole electoral process functions according to law. So let’s be very careful about our demands. But anything that is within the CI, why not? Let’s test our own law and see what we’ll get for today and the future.”
Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa
Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong’s remarks following the IPAC meeting highlighted the significance of media involvement in electoral processes, the necessity of resolving electoral challenges through dialogue, and the importance of adhering to the legal framework governing Ghana’s elections.
His appeal for a peaceful, consensus-driven approach to addressing electoral disputes reflects his broader commitment to fostering democratic stability and preventing violence during election periods.
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