The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has dismissed claims that the presence of many police officers in the Akwatia constituency is intimidating voters.
He says the initiative aims to ensure the ongoing by-election remains peaceful and free from violence, rather than discouraging people from voting.
“It’s not intimidating. It’s for peace. The presence of police is for peace. Anywhere people don’t have police, they call for police and now we have brought police so be peaceful and come out to vote,” he clarified.
After touring some polling centres in the constituency, Mr. Yohuno expressed hope that the process would remain peaceful, reaffirming his stance that the officers on the ground are there to ensure a peaceful exercise.
“Everything is going on well, the people are comporting themselves, and the electoral officials are also working without any fears and then the police are also giving the protection they have to give,” he stated.
He was certain that despite the day being young, the process will be peaceful.
“The day is still young, we hope that just as we started, we’ll go through the process like that to the end. At the end of the day, we’ll smile, having a peaceful election,” he added.
The police administration has deployed hundreds of officers to the voting centres ahead of the exercise.
This is part of the arrangement to ensure the election becomes peaceful, bearing in mind the violence nature of by-election and election re-runs in the country.
The deployment, which is part of a larger security operation involving more than 5,500 personnel, is aimed at maintaining law and order across polling stations, collation centres, and identified hotspots.
Officers are expected to provide protection for electoral officials, voters, and materials.
The IGP, Mr. Yohunu, had earlier urged the officers at a press briefing to remain professional, impartial, and alert throughout the exercise.
They have assured the public of a peaceful process, stressing that contingency measures, including possible military backup, are in place to swiftly respond to any disturbances.
The by-election has drawn intense national interest as it is widely regarded as a test of political strength between the NDC and NPP ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Meanwhile, the National Peace Council’s efforts to secure a peace pact between the NDC and NPP ahead of the by-election hit a setback, further heightening the political tension in the constituency.
At a scheduled meeting at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Akwatia, the NPP rejected the NDC’s representatives.
The opposition party argued that the party had presented constituency executives instead of national-level executives to sign the agreement.
