The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) wants the Attorney General and Minister for Justice Godfred Dame to develop a legislative Instrument towards the implementation of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999).
CODEO has also charged the National Peace Council to collaborate with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) to resolve the outstanding issue of whether the government should be a signatory to the Code of Conduct to disband politically affiliated vigilante groups.
These are part of recommendations on ensuring peace and security captured in a communiqué from a stakeholder review of election 2020.
“In an aftermath of the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, CODEO engaged stakeholders before and after the polls. Parts of the recommendations centred on security and how the National Election Taskforce can better ensure subsequent better elections”, it said.
CODEO says disagreements, whether the government should be a signatory to the code of conduct to disband politically motivated vigilante groups, should not delay the implementation of the road map to end political vigilantism.
It also asked the National Peace Council, the NCCE and CSOs to intensify education on the Vigilantsim and Related offences Act 2019 (999) and publicize the provisions and sanctions in the Act.
“In the medium to long term, there should be concerted efforts among stakeholders to make the Inspector General of Police independent by insulating him or her from political interference by securing his or her tenure across regimes and ensuring such appointments are transparent and consultative”, extracts from communique added.
The Code of Conduct and Roadmap to ending political vigilantism was developed by a technical committee following a series of dialogues organized by the National Peace Council.
The move was necessitated by happenings at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-elections in 2019.
The Vigilantism and related offences law bans acts of vigilantism in Ghana, disbands vigilante groups, including political party vigilante groups and land guards.
