Trans4orm Calls on EC

Trans4orm Network, Ghana, a youth empowerment and peacebuilding organization, has called on the Electoral Commission to intensify its public education on the electoral processes and most especially on the 30,000 names quarantined in the voters register and the expansion of the 33,367 polling stations nationwide to 40,000.

Mr. Vincent Azumah, Chair of the Board of Advisors of Trans4orm Network, Ghana, noted that even though the 30,000 names were legally quarantined, any of these persons who may not have known that their names have been quarantined and not eligible to vote until cleared, could be a source of conflict and violence at the polling station. “It is even more dangerous if any of these quarantined names happen to be in any of the Electoral Commission’s identified 9,600 polling stations regarded as hotspots”.

Mr. Azumah was addressing the second in the series of peace concerts dubbed “Volta for Peace” organized by Tosh Media and Trans4orm Ghana, Dzodze in the Ketu North District of the Volta region. He added that, all the 16,000 persons found to have engaged in double registration should be investigated and promptly prosecuted and widely publicized to serve as a deterrent to would be future offenders.

Mama Awoamefi, Queenmother of Afife speaking on behalf of Queenmothers in the Ketu North Traditional area, advised the youth to identify good politicians from the bad ones. “The good politician is the one who will seek your welfare and development. The bad one is the one who will give you few cedis and hard drugs and ask you to commit violent acts while their children at protected in the comfort of their homes”, she noted. She called on politicians to control their supporters before, during and after the December polls to ensure peace.

Togbe Akutu II of Dzodze Afeyieme, who also spoke on behalf of chiefs in the traditional area, called on the media to be circumspect in their reportage in other to maintain the relative peace Ghana is privileged to have. He noted some media houses provide the avenue for some politicians to use intemperate languages. “This is one way by which we could slip into violence”. Togbe Akutu pledged the support of the chiefs in the area to support the peace initiative of Tosh Media and Trans4orm. Launching the Volta for Peace concerts in Ho before it reached other areas of the Volta region, Rev. Seth Mawutor, chairman of Volta Regional Peace Council, expressed the delight of the Peace Council to Trans4orm Network, Ghana and Tosh Media to help prevent electoral violence through the medium of musical performances. “Music, as they say, is a universal language and using music as a medium to communicate the values of peace and peaceful mindedness can only lead to universal compliance” he noted.

Rev Mawutor called on all to entrench Ghana’s democratic ethos by using non-violence approaches to address any grievance that they may encounter in their daily lives. He called “countrymen and women who have recently adopted violence as a means of communicating their grievances about whether or not the erstwhile Western Togoland Territory should continue to remain a part of Ghana to use the right and peaceful channels”.

The Volta for peace concert which puts together over 25 young artistes led by the Chief Executive Officer of Tosh Media, Tony D who is also the Chairman of MUSIGHA in the Volta region. All the 25 artistes perform songs composed specifically for a peaceful 2020 election. The concerts which has already gone through the Volta regional capital, Ho and Dzodze in the Ketu North district, is billed to reach, Akatsi, Keta, Hohoe and Kpando before December 7, 2020. Performing artistes and comedians on the Volta for Peace road musical show include, Tony D, Anasco, Rap Ziggy, Sister Beauty, Saunter S2, Everyday, Mozato, Chilling Mama, China man and other talented young peace activists.