The Executive Director for Africa Centre for Peace Building, Efo Korsi Senyo is calling on the President of the republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to put measures in place to fight the deadly Corona-virus to ensure that the lives of Ghanaians are protected rather than thinking about the 2020 polls.
In a press statement sighted by Awake News, Mr. Korsi Senyo said “We wish to remind government that its actions and decisions must at all-time be in the best interest of the masses and sugaring the peace and security of this nation.”
Lives must be protected first before thinking of the next elections as the same people whose lives are being threatened by this virus are the same people who will be at the polls to cast their votes- He added
The statement is coming in after the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Friday 27 March 2020 dismissing an injunction and suit filed by two citizens of Ghana, Mr. Emmanuel and Kevor challenging the National Identification Authority’s decision to continue with the Ghana Card mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region despite President Akufo-Addo’s directive suspending all social gatherings amid public fear and spread of the deadly corona virus. The law suit by the two also cited possible violation of their rights to health should the mass registration.
Read the full statement
For Immediate Release
From: Africa Centre for Peace Building (Peace Centre)
Date: March 27, 2020
To: All Media Houses
COVID 19: CONTINUING THE GHANA CARD MASS REGISTRATION EXERCISE IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO PEACE AND SECURITY; IMF, WHO, WORLD BANK AND UN MUST SUSPEND GOVERNMENT OF GHANA’S REQUESTS.
The Africa Centre for Peace Building (Peace Centre) has taken note of today’s Court of Appeal’s ruling dismissing an injunction and suit filed by two citizens of Ghana, Mr. Emmanuel and Kevor challenging the National Identification Authority’s decision to continue with the Ghana Card mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region despite President Akufo-Addo’s directive suspending all social gatherings amid public fear and spread of the deadly corona virus. The law suit by the two also cited possible violation of their rights to health should the mass registration exercise continue.
Though we respect the court’s ruling, we disagree with the decision of government to allow the NIA to continue the mass registration exercise on the face of the increasing spread of the virus as not being in the best interest of the nation. We strongly believe that allowing the NIA to continue the exercise despite the threat the virus poses to humanity globally will equally pose great danger to peace and security in Ghana.
As a civil society organization with primary focus of peace and security, our greatest worry is that it appears government officials are more interested in what they will do at all cost to ensure that the Electoral Commission of Ghana gets data to compile its wasteful new biometric voters’ register rather than putting enough measure to protect the citizens from the deadly COVID-19 that has so far claimed thousands of lives across the globe.
We wish to remind government that its actions and decisions must at all-time be in the best interest of the masses and sugaring the peace and security of this nation. Lives must be protected first before thinking of the next elections as the same people whose lives are being threatened by this virus are the same people who will be at the polls to cast their votes.
We are by the statement calling on the International Monitory Fund, World Bank, World Health Organization and the United Nation to as a matter of urgency and in interest of global peace and security call the Government of Ghana to order by suspending any financial and technical support requests being made by the Government of Ghana in the fight against this COVID-19 until such a time that government demonstrate its total and honest commitment to fighting the pandemic.
-End-
Signed:
Korsi Senyo
Executive Director
+233249155003
senyo@afcopb.org
CC:
– The International Monitory Fund
– World Bank
The United Nation
– World Health Organization