NCCE urges end to political thuggery

The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Alhassan Yakubu, has called for politicians to move away from the evil practice of luring the youth into acts of political thuggery during elections.

He said the situation where they engaged “macho-men” to intimidate people and snatch ballot boxes was completely unacceptable and must be avoided.

They should not take advantage of the vulnerability of anybody for trouble-making and to threaten the peace and stability of the society, he added.

Mr. Yakubu was speaking at a day’s workshop held for “macho-men” in the region to talk them out of political violence and aid them to get right with the law as the election campaign intensified.

The programme was organized by the “Millennium Child Support Group” a local NGO with support from Star-Ghana – a multi-donor pooled funding mechanism.

The Regional Director spoke of the need for the “macho-men” to refuse to be manipulated by politicians to foment trouble in pursuit of self-serving agenda.

“You should reject monetary offers and gifts by politicians meant to entice you to bully, physically assault, maim or kill people they perceive to be their political enemies.”

Mr. Yakubu said they should use their enormous energy and physical strengthen to help the law enforcement agencies to keep the nation calm before, during and after the coming December elections.

He encouraged them to join the on-going peace campaign to grow the nation’s multi-party democracy.

Mr. Ato Parker, Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, urged the political leaders and their supporters to uphold the political parties’ code of conduct to remove needless tension.

He said it was important for all to be patriotic – put the nation first and conduct themselves responsibly.

Mr. Gilbert Polos Ntiamoah, National President of the Macho-men for Peace and Justice, pledged to resist overtures by politicians to break the law and undermine the peace of the country.

Source: GNA