By Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) is preparing to use jingles and education materials to drum up interest in the coming district level elections in February. The jingles to be aired nationwide will be launched at the Conference Room of the NCCE Head Office, on the premises of the Electoral Commission, Ridge on Thursday, 15th
The aim of the program is to whip-up the enthusiasm of Ghanaians to actively participate in the upcoming elections. The launch will be performed by the Chairman of the Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei
The district level elections would be held in two hundred and sixteen districts to elect more than six thousand assembly members throughout the country. Currently many people are lacing their boots to offer themselves as candidates to contest the seats.
In view of the need to involve all categories of people on the coming district councils, some men and women wanting to be voted for into the assemblies are busy splashing their posters with short messages in their localities as a means of getting people to recognize them. In spite of the hectic campaigns going on throughout the country, some people spoken say they have not heard that the elections once postponed from October last year will be held in February 2015.
Other people particularly the poor and jobless would like to be left alone to mind their own business of looking for jobs to do to eke out a living.
It appears that this situation which is almost nationwide must be dealt with before it gets out of hand to affect the coming elections. Recently Voter apathy set into all sections of the nation last year when voter registers were opened for those who turned 18 to come forward to be registered.
It was poorly patronized in much the same way when the registers were later put on display at exhibition centers throughout the country. Mr. Amadu Sulley, a Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) was disappointed over the emerging voter apathy during District Level Elections since the coming of the 1992 constitution as against the presidential elections which are well patronized.
He called on relevant stakeholders in the country?s electoral process to create adequate awareness in the run up to the District Level Election to increase voter turnout.
Mr sulley lamented over the low turnout of observed that over the years, turn out at the District Level Elections and considered it regrettable.
In view of the unfortunate situation it is the desire of many people that something is done about it by the government and its agencies. If not there is the likelihood that the voter apathy will get out of hand in the coming district level elections and be extended to the coming presidential and parliamentary elections.
Apart from releasing more than 55 million Ghana cedis to the Electoral Commission (EC) for the conduct of the District Assembly Elections there is the need to act swiftly to get the people to show interest in the polls. Otherwise if the people fail to show interest the resources given out for the elections would go waste.
The media campaign which includes a jingle and educational materials is a step in the right direction. It is our hope that the exercise will go down well with the people and awaken the people to show interest in it by going to vote when the time comes for them to do so in February
Source:By Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
0244 370345/ 0264370345/0208844791 [email protected]/[email protected]
