The Convener of Election Watch Ghana, Mark Ewusi Arkoh, has expressed concern over the planned deployment of thousands of Police officers at the upcoming Akwatia by-elections.
According to Mark Ewusi Arkoh, the Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has said that he is going to deploy about 5000 police, but such a high number of police presence in the area could cause fear and panic in the area.
Speaking on Tv3 News on Tuesday, August 26, Mark Ewusi Arkoh said although the group has advocated for enhanced security in the area, such a large number of security personnel is intimidating and not necessary for a fair election.
“This is an opportunity for the people of Akwatia to elect a candidate or someone to represent them in parliament. Election or democracy is not about bringing out a lot of police officers or security officers to a particular area. And we indicated in our earlier press statement that if you look at the deployment of the police and the number, it is going to scare people,” he stressed.
Mr. Arkoh added, “About two days ago we heard commentary coming from the people of Akwatia, who are the voters, saying that the police presence there is so much that it has created some sort of fear and panic in them.”
Mark Ewusi Arkoh further called for perpetrators of violent activities during elections to be punished according to the law.
“Those who are perpetrators of such violent acts should be punished and be brought to book. If we fail to do this it will embolden others to continue to do same anytime we have elections,” he stated.
Adding, “We are saying that if you want to go by international standards, we do not need that number of police officers to go to Akwatia. What we need is the enforcement of the law”
The by-election in the Akwatia constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana is scheduled to take place on September 2, 2025 following the passing of the former Member of Parliament for the area, Ernest Yaw Kumi, who sadly passed on July 7, 2025.
