Election observers urged to give credible report
Major General Retired Nii Carl Coleman, the Chairperson of the Civic Forum Initiative (CFI), has implored domestic election observers to be transparent and give credible and reliable information for effective analysis of the election process.
“We know that each and every one of you belong to one political party or the other, but this exercise is a national duty and there is the need for you to subdue any party affiliation and focus on national interest by giving truthful information from the field,” he said.
Major Gen. Coleman gave the advice in Accra at the launch of the National Civil Society Elections Situation Room.
The event was organised by the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) and Civic Forum Initiative and supported by Star Ghana, UKAID, Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy, Education for Development, Ford Foundation, Australian Aid and the African Capacity Building Foundation.
Major Gen. Coleman urged the observers to give credible reports to the situation room to avoid undue pressure on them in the course of their professional work because IDEG was known to be a credible organisation in election analysis.
“We need to make sure things are done properly and it behooves on all observers to furnish the situation room with the right information,” he said, adding that any false information meant doing a disservice to the country’s development.
Major Gen. Coleman pledged the unflinching support of members to a successful and peaceful election, saying their outfit would cross-check any information on the ground before making it public to maintain its credibility.
Launching the programme, Mrs Angela Dwamena Aboagye, the Founder of Ark Foundation, a Women’s Right Organisation, said IDEG and CFI had established 10 situation rooms in all the regions with a national co-ordinating centre in Accra to disseminate credible information on the polls to the public.
She explained that the rooms would be operated in conjunction with the police and the Electoral Commission to focus on data regarding the voting processes, voter turnouts, and results from polling stations and collation centres. It would also cover other incidents and events that may crop up at the various polling centres.
Mrs Dwamena Aboagye said; “It is an operational room equipped with cameras, phones, television sets and other gadgets to monitor and gather information as events roll out before, during and after the December general election.”
Mr Clement Nwankwo, the Head of Nigeria Civil Society Organisations, said the country had demonstrated its commitment to upholding democratic values due to the successful elections it had since 1992 and was optimistic it would continue.
He urged the observers to be abreast of the electoral process and have the understanding of the entire process to work effectively.
Source: GNA