Some schoolchildren have appealed to all stakeholders in the upcoming general elections to put the nation first and work together to ensure peaceful polls.
The children, numbering about 100 and drawn from schools under the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), said children were vulnerable and would be worse affected in the event of chaos. Therefore, the nation’s peace must be protected before, during, and after the elections.
They made the call when some executives of GNACOPS and teachers led the students to pay a courtesy call on Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), at the EC’s Corporate Office in Accra on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the pupils echoed their message of peace through nationalistic songs, poems, and presentations, rallying political actors, the election management body, and voters to “choose peace and grow Ghana.”
They also displayed placards, some of which read: “Our future is bright with peace,” “We have Ghana, let’s keep it peaceful,” “For our future, choose peace,” “Peace today, great Ghana tomorrow,” and “Choose peace, grow Ghana.”
Nana Kwesi Gyetuah, National Executive Director of GNACOPS, said although the pupils would not participate in the elections, they would be the most affected in the absence of peace.
He said all stakeholders must consider the future of Ghanaian children and let peace reign throughout the electoral process.
“The students of Ghana look to you as role models of integrity and impartiality, inspiring them to become responsible, engaged citizens in the future,” Nana Gyetuah said.
During the meeting, Mrs. Mensa signed the Peace Ghana Initiative Pledge and assured the pupils that the Commission would deliver credible, free, fair, and peaceful elections.
She said children “are the foundations of this nation” and added that “we should stand as one people and work for peace.”
“It is a privilege to find innocent children around this table. The peace song they sang must reign throughout the elections, and their voices must echo everywhere,” Mrs. Mensa said.
Eligible Ghanaian voters will go to the polls to elect a president and 276 Members of Parliament on December 7, 2024.
Per the summaries of the Certified Voters’ Register published by the Commission, there are 18,640,811 voters on the register.
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